Forced Hand
by The Rabid Bunny
Summary: Kiba has clan obligations that involve getting married. Sakura is doing everything she can to forget how lonely she is. Enter one very nosy Hokage, and watch what happens.
1. Kiba

**A/N: Hey, there. Hope ya'll enjoy my little take on the world of Sakura.**

**I do not own the characters from this, or any other, anime. I am not nearly cool enough to take that blame.  
**

Tsunade sat at her desk glaring out the window. She was beginning to feel irritated, but she knew that she could not lash out at the woman sitting across from her. She sighed and ran a hand through her long blond hair. She had so much work to be done, not that she wanted to do it. But she needed to get started at some point. The sooner she got her work done, the sooner she could crack open the bottle of sake that had taken up residence in her desk. Besides, her work would also be a welcome distraction to the nonsense that she was having to listen to at the moment.

"Let me get this straight," she spoke coolly, wanting the woman opposite her to catch her annoyance. "You are asking the Hokage to become involved in your clan's politics? Do you realize what a move like this will cause with the other clans? They'll think I'm playing favorites." Her honey-colored eyes flashed with angrily. Her apprentices knew this look, and they would have known to back down. Unfortunately, her guest did not know her moods.

"Hokage-sama, we are not requesting you get involved in our politics; it's just that...well, he refuses anyone we offer, and we are out of prospects." The woman spoke sharply. She had obviously caught onto the Hokage's anger, and was having difficulty quelling her own. Her son would pay for making her grovel. Tsunade sensed the woman's distress and slumped back into her chair. She reached into her desk and brought out her hidden stash of sake.

"Tsume, have a drink with me and explain your situation." The residing head of the Inuzuka clan relaxed in her chair and looked to her companion who sat on the floor beside her. Kuromaru gave one deep bark, then stood and trotted out of the room. Tsunade glanced at Tsume with an arched brow.

"He is going home; he'll let the pups know where I'm at, and to not wait up for me." Tsume grinned a sly wolfish grin. She had heard of the Godaime's drinking prowess and wanted to test her. She hoped that by loosening the old woman up, perhaps she would be more receptive to hear about the Inuzuka clan's plight.

"Now, Tsume," Tsunade grinned back as she poured their first drinks, "tell me what Kiba has done now."

* * *

"Man, am I worn out..." a rather disheveled brunette threw himself to the ground at the foot of a tree at the edge of the clearing that acted as his team's training grounds. He was breathing heavily and sweating profusely. There had been an unexpected heat wave in Konoha, and it was terribly hot even for mid-August.

Inuzuka Kiba had shed his ever-present fur-lined coat long ago, and was now contemplating removing his mesh shirt. However, he knew that this show of skin would not bode well for his more sensitive teammate. Hyuuga Hinata, probably the meekest kunoichi to ever live, should be glad that he was so thoughtful, because he was dying. The sweat was pouring from his head into his eyes, even with his forehead protector in place. He rubbed his hand across his face, feeling the sensitivity in his two triangle-shaped facial markings, and let a low huff escape his lips.

"Quit your whining, it's not that hot." Shino, the heir to the Aburame clan, landed near him to lean back against another tree with his arms crossed over his chest. He had not shed any of his layers of clothing and was still covered by his heavy coat with the hood raised to obscure his hair and most of his face.

Hinata plopped down next to Kiba. She too had shed her purple and tan coat and had trained in her mesh shirt. Much to Kiba's surprise, the shy Hyuuga had worn shorts that came to just above her knees instead of the usual blue capris. "I-It r-really is h-hot out", she stuttered. Kiba couldn't tell if she was blushing or if she was flushed from the heat.

"Yeah, bug-freak, just because your scary ass can't feel the heat doesn't mean we can't."

"Well, then, shall we call it a day?" Shino asked calmly. Of course he wouldn't rise to Kiba's jabs; his attempt at baiting the bug-trainer into an emotional display fell on deaf ears. The biting comments had ceased to bother him long ago. That, and it really was too hot to fight.

"Shino, are you going to give Kurenai-sensei a report on our progress?" Kiba asked suddenly.

"Yes."

"How is she d-doing?" Hinata whispered. The team had had little time to practice with their sensei since the birth of her son. And, though the boy was nearing 3 years old, Kurenai was still wary of leaving him for long. Her team often found themselves training and even leaving for missions without their sensei. Naturally Shino had stepped up as team leader, so he was often the one who stopped by her home in order to report on their activities.

"She and Asuma-kun are doing well," was all Shino offered before turning to head to said teacher's home.

"Oh, my, I-I have to m-meet Naruto for d-dinner", Hinata shot up, realizing the time.

Kiba chuckled and waved as she ran off in the opposite direction. _It's about time_, he thought.

"Well, Akamaru," he glanced down at the large white dog that lay in front of him, "ready to get home and listen to the next round of bitching from mom and Hana."

"If you'd quit being an insolent pup and listen, they wouldn't be so loud," Akamaru stated while standing and shaking his fur.

"Man, not you, too." With that, the two headed toward home, where they knew they were in for a long evening.

Within minutes, the two were traipsing in the front door of Kiba's ancestoral home. "Oi, mom, what's for dinner," Kiba called walking into the kitchen.

He was answered with a loud woof from beneath the table. Kiba glanced over at the gray and black wolf-hound who had been enjoying a nice nap in his favorite place. Akamaru trotted up and reached over to nip at the elder dog's remaining ear playfully and was promptly swatted by a large paw.

"Can't you two pups ever do anything quietly," Kuromaru growled swatting Akamaru again. The younger dog had wriggled his way beneath the table and was trying to groom his mentor's previously nipped left ear. "I swear, I don't know how you two can be considered decent shinobi." The older dog huffed and flopped his head back onto his paws allowing Akamaru to continue his grooming. "Your mother is in a meeting with the Hokage and may be detained most of the evening, and Hana is still at the veterinary clinic. Both say not to wait up."

"Hmmmph, I wouldn't anyway." There was a short silence, in which Akamaru even looked up from his task before returning to it just as quickly.

"You know that they only mean the best for you and the clan."

"No, they mean the best for the clan, then me. They haven't once considered how I feel in this."

"Yes, they have, that is why they are allowing you to choose instead of arranging it for you. Your mother knows all too well that you will not be happy unless you choose for yourself."

"I know that she thinks that she's helping, but..."

"Kiba, you have obligations to your clan. You will head the clan very soon, and you need to be married in order to do so. Our clan works like a pack, and the Alpha male needs an Alpha female to assist in clan responsibilities." Kuromaru sighed. This pup just would not listen to reason. "Your mother has come to terms with the fact that you do not wish to marry within the clan..."

"It's not that, dammit, it's just that none of the Inuzuka girls care about me, they only care about the status they'll gain by marrying me. I don't even want to get married. I like being a shinobi, and being married will only complicate things." Kiba did not like getting angry with his mother's companion, but he sounded just like everyone else, and it was so annoying.

"This is why your mother is meeting with Lady Tsunade."

"Wha..."

The elder dog stood and walked over to Kiba. He knew he should not tell the boy this, but Kiba's scent was full of anger, anxiety, and frustration, and it was putting the old dog on edge.

"Your mother has gotten the clan elders to agree to search outside of the clan for a suitable mate. They feel that even a strong kunoichi could possess the traits necessary to assist in heading the clan. Tsume is meeting with the Hokage in order to make a list of suitable kunoichi."

Kiba stood in the kitchen with his mouth gaping. He had never thought that the elders would allow him to marry outside of the clan. This was extremely surprising, but he wasn't thinking about that at the moment. He clenched his jaw and straightened his back. "Well, when mom decides that she is finished planning my future and comes home, tell her that I'm not meeting anyone on her list. I AM NOT MARRYING, AND THAT IS FINAL!!" With that he stormed down the hall to his room.

Akamaru wriggled even closer to his mentor and gave a low whine, "He'll come around."

"I hope, for his sake. His mother will not take this insubordination for much longer, and neither will the council. With each girl that he denies, he forces them closer to not giving him a say at all."


	2. Enter Sakura

**A/N Here's the next chapter. Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who favorited this story. Also props to **_**Fairy of Anime**_** for the review. Please let me know if you still like where I'm going here. Also, let me know if the character personalities are okay. Oh, how did I do on Kiba in the previous chapter? Do I need to go back and make him a little more crass? Maybe give him more of a potty mouth? Let me know.**

**This introduces Sakura as kind of bitchy, but, hey, it works for me. Also alot of musing from Tsunade.**

**Oh, and I don't own Naruto.**

"Oooowww, that hurts. Daddy, make her stop!!" The little girl sitting on the hospital examining table tried to wriggle out of her doctor's tight grip.

Haruno Sakura huffed and blew a strand of pink hair out of her eyes. She glared down at the child whose broken arm she was examining.

"Mina-chan, if you don't stop moving, I won't be able to fix it." The four-year old abruptly stopped moving at the command. This lady was mean, and she didn't want her to make her arm hurt worse.

Sakura sighed and went back to applying her healing chakra to the broken bone in the child's forearm. She really didn't mean to hurt the little girl or sound so mean to her, but the kid would not stop moving long enough to properly heal the break. She had already been forced to re-break it once and really didn't want to have to do it again.

_Man, this is why I prefer shinobi over civilians, especially children. Shinobi aren't so whiny_. Her inner-Sakura said sounding rather whiny herself.

_I know, but I can think of a few shinobi who are pretty big crybabies. Look at Naruto, who throws a fit if I'm not the one who heals him, and Kakashi, who has to be tied to his bed every time he's admitted_, she teased her inner self.

_Well, when you think about it that way, maybe shinobi aren't easier than children. But at least, when a ninja needs our capabilities, it's usually because his life is on the line. Healing a child's broken arm is such a waste of our abilities and chakra_.

_You do have a point there_.

Sakura was brought out her inner debate when Mina sniffled again. Inwardly rolling her eyes, Sakura smiled her best smile and said, "There now, Mina-chan, all done. Now, stay out of the trees; I don't want to have heal you like this again." At the last statement, Sakura placed her hands on her hips and gave her best possible impression of an irritated Tsunade. While she did get a shriek of fear from the little girl who hid behind her father's leg, the dad was none-too impressed.

"I am definitely reporting your attitude to the Hokage, miss. You should not be working with children." Picking up his squalling daughter, he stormed out of the examining room.

Sakura slumped into a chair in the corner and scrubbed her face with her hands wishing this was her last patient of the day instead of her first. Boy, this day was bound to be the best day of her career. She sat staring at the ceiling for a moment, then sat up when she heard the door open then close. Without even fully opening her eyes, she began to rattle off an excuse to get her off the hook.

"Tsunade-shishou, please, I'm tired and a little grouchy from a lack of sleep. You see, Naruto came over last night and..."

The Hokage chuckled lightly at her apprentice's horrid attempt at excusing her behavior. "I see we've been spending some time with Kakashi." She chuckled again at the younger woman's slight blush. Tsunade knew that there was something going on between the two, but decided to let her student alone, for the moment.

"Sakura, I have been getting reports of your anger and outbursts toward patients lately, and I'm seriously beginning to wonder if you've lost your mind."

The girl jumped at this and began gnawing her bottom lip. Tsunade recognized her apprentice's nervous habit, and knew that the girl had already put thought into the issue. "What is it? Tell me what's up with you." The older woman said quietly while moving to seat her self on the examining table.

"Well, shishou, it's just that I've been working primarily at the hospital lately, and I guess it's just getting to me. I miss going out on missions."

"You're the one who asked to be taken off of the active-duty roster so that you could spend more time at the hospital."

"I know," she nibbled on the lip a little more, "it's just that I went through all this training to become a better kunoichi, and I became a med-nin so that I could assist my comrades in life or death situations. Not to spend my time healing the broken bones of children who fall out of trees while _playing_ shinobi."

"So, you want to start doing missions again?" Tsunade quirked a brow at this request. Sakura was a brilliant med-nin, and she was able to think on her feet in sticky situations. This added to the fact that she was determined to be just as strong as her previous team made Sakura a force to recon with. But she time and again lacked the confidence in her own abilities to do her any good. On her last mission, Sakura had lost her cool and used up too much chakra fighting bandits, and she had not been able to heal a near-fatal wound that Naruto had received in the chest. Naruto had had to rely on Kyuubi's chakra to heal himself, and the resulting temporary loss of his sanity nearly proved fatal for not only the bandits, but for their team as well. It had taken two transportation scrolls for her to carry Naruto, Kakashi, and Sai back to the village, their wounds were so terrible. Naruto blamed himself, but Sakura just knew that she was to blame, and had immediately asked to be taken off the active-duty roster.

Sakura nodded slowly, as if the idea troubled her. "Nothing major, and I'll work with whomever is available. I wouldn't want to be put back on a team and disrupt anyone." She was obviously speaking of Team Kakashi which now consisted of Kakashi, Naruto, Sai, and Sasuke. Yeah, that was a sore subject for the pink-haired woman, and Tsunade knew better than to even attempt that conversation.

When Sasuke had returned, Sakura handled it extremely well by promptly stepping in front of him with her hands on her hips giving him her best glare. He looked at her through his blue-black bangs which hung in his face in a rather undignified way and shoved his hands in his pockets. He didn't even say hello or ask how she was, he just looked at her as if expecting her to fawn all over him. Of course Sakura responded in kind by punching him in the jaw and sending him flying toward the village's entrance gates. Later when asked why she had done that, she merely responded that she was thanking him for leaving. They barely spoke after that.

After Sakura left the team to become a full-time med-nin, Tsunade had put Sasuke back on the team because she knew that his old sensei and best friend would keep him in line. However, this meant that Sakura did have to deal with him on a regular basis because she did stay in touch with her old team. But, much to Tsunade's amusement, she was always so cool to the Uchiha that it was laughable. Of course, it didn't phase him a bit since he was the same old stoic Sasuke.

"Fine, I'll see what I can find for you," then because she just couldn't help herself, "So how is Kakashi anyway?" It had been meant to be a joke, but the sudden flash of anger told her that Sakura's pink-tinged face had not been brought on by embarrassment over her mistress knowing her secret.

"If you don't mind, I would like to be alone for a moment before my next patient," the girl forced through gritted teeth.

Tsunade took the cue and left with a slight wave. She suddenly knew all-too-well why Sakura was uneasy and moody. Her luck with men was atrocious, and it seemed to have just gotten worse. Of course, Tsunade would never understand why the hell the girl always insisted on dating emotionally inept shinobi, but Sakura was drawn to them like a moth to a flame. After pining for Sasuke for her entire teenage life, Sakura had come to the conclusion that he was never coming home, and, when he did, her anger at him for leaving far out-weighed all other emotions. She had then had a short relationship with Gaara, the Kazekage of Sunagakure. After a few months, Sakura had come to the realization that he would probably never stop mourning the loss of Shukaku, the one-tailed Tanuki demon which had been his inner voice for his entire life. Add that to the fact that they were wonderful at flaring each other's tempers, the aftershocks of which could often be felt in Konoha, and we, yet again, are presented with a self-loathing, depressed Sakura.

Now, this new development with Kakashi, which was most likely the case of him breaking off their friends-with-benefits agreement before she got emotionally attached. Lord knew that he was barely capable of dealing with the emotional wreck that was Sakura at age twelve, let alone with the added stress of being Tsunade's assistant, helping to run the hospital, and Sasuke's return. Hell, if she were him, Tsunade would have run too.

No wonder the pink-haired girl was upset. She had taken another blow to her ego, and was probably feeling pretty low at the moment. Tsunade felt her apprentice's pain because she had been in the same boat. The girl was easy to look at, strong, and a very capable kunoichi which generally proceeded scare the hell out of most available men. It also didn't help that she was an emotional basket case who had super-human strength. This made the Hokage feel bad for the girl because she certainly didn't deserve to be alone. Though Sakura had the tendency to be moody, she wore her heart on her sleeve and gave it freely to anyone who acted remotely interested. This saddened Tsunade to the point of tears.

_My poor Sakura, when will you find someone who can love you and deal with the consequences of being loved by you?_ The Hokage mused to herself while entering her office. She plopped into her chair, preparing to dig into today's paperwork. She noticed a list sitting atop the pile of mission reports that had yet to be read. She stared at the list for a long moment thoughtfully, and a sly smile formed across her face.

"Shizune, get in here."

The dark-haired assistant rushed into the Hokage's office and was frozen in her tracks. She had seen her boss with this look numerous times, and it did not bode well. "Y-yes ma'am?"

"Arrange a meeting with Inuzuka Tsume," the smile grew wider, almost toothy. "I think I may have found an answer to her clan's problem."

Oh yeah, this definitely did not bode well. Tsunade was in a plotting mood, and Shizune felt sorry for the poor girl who would suddenly find herself at the whim of a matchmaking Hokage.

**A/N Sorry for the super sappy Tsunade, but I had fun writing it.**


	3. Of Leading Clans

**A/N: I'm back. So, I just wanted to clarify a few things. This fic takes place about 4 years after the beginning of Shippuden, and let's say that all the kids are jounin level shinobi. Thanks so much to those who have alerted this story or made it a favorite. Also, lots of kisses to reviewers: **_**Fairy of Anime, Inquisitor Soarn, and Earthbender 068.**_** And to answer **_**Earthbender 068**_**'s question: Do you remember in the anime when a comment was made about Akamaru not being able to say Kiba's name, and that Pakkun could talk when he was still very small? I think I recall that somewhere. Anyways, so I like the idea of the nin-dogs being able to talk to everyone, so for my purposes, they do. This could open up room for some pretty interesting conversations between Akamaru and Sakura...hmmm...**

**Oh, and how's the chapter length?**

**So, I don't own Kiba and Sakura, or anything associated with Naruto. Well, some action figures and a head band, but that's it...**

**This chapter coincides time-wise with the previous chapter.**

"KIBA, GET YOUR ASS UP AND GET IN THE KITCHEN NOW!!" Tsume's voice boomed through the house, around the yard, and down the street. Every Inuzuka and his companion on the block flinched at the sound. This definitely meant trouble.

A short moment later, a very cranky and disheveled Kiba dragged himself to the kitchen door. He leaned against the door frame, rubbing the sleep from his eyes which were refusing to remain open at the moment. "What," he rumbled, his voice just as sleep filled as his eyes.

"Listen here, you little shit. We are going to come to an end to this marriage argument now, or so help me, I'll...don't roll your eyes at me..."

"Why do you insist on battling with me over this? I am not getting married, period." Having his mind made up, Kiba turned to go back to his room. He was suddenly sent sprawling across the floor as he was head butted by Akamaru. "Traitor," he pouted, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head where it had met the floor tiles.

Akamaru growled menacingly above him. "You will listen to your mother, and end this nonsense today. The clan cannot move ahead until this issue is resolved."

Kiba stood, still rubbing his bumped head, and faced his mother. He gave her his best death glare for a long moment before taking a seat at the table. "Speak."

"So you presume to be the Alpha in this household?" Tsume asked coolly. She did not like her son's disrespect and tone, and he needed to be put in his place. "The last I knew, you were still just an arrogant pup whose bark was too big to back up. You surely don't presume to get attitude with the Alpha female of this house and this clan, when you are bent on shirking you own duties..."

"I've told you I don't want to head the clan, and I am not getting married to some random girl just to satisfy some stupid rule that says I have to," Kiba fidgeted sulkily. "You're not married, and you're the Alpha of the clan."

Tsume closed her eyes and sighed. Her hangover was getting far worse. While she had given Tsunade a run for her money, the old woman had drank the dog-trainer under the table. And, with her heightened senses, she knew it was only going to get worse. She just wanted to crawl back into her dark, quiet bed and sleep it off. But, no, she had to deal with the child who was her twenty-year old son.

"I _was_ married to your father. He was the true Alpha, and, after his death, I took over as _acting_ Head-of-clan just until you come of age. And, no, you cannot pass it off onto your sister. This is your responsibility, and you must follow through."

"I am not getting married. Why can't you and that stupid council leave me alone? Find someone else to play house with some nobody, cause it won't be me. Now, if you're finished bitching, I have training." Kiba turned again to leave, and was again knocked back. This time, a very agitated Kuromaru was standing in front of him, hackles up.

"You insolent whelp. You don't realize that if you deny your birthright, you will be stripped of all privileges associated with being an Inuzuka."

Kiba shook himself and looked at the huge wolf-hound who was baring his fangs. "I don't care."

"They'll take Akamaru, and have him put down," Tsume spoke softly looking at the floor.

Kiba whirled on her. "They wouldn't dare." His tone held a serious threat that his mother had very few times before.

"See, Kiba, there's so much about clan rules that you don't understand. If you deny your place as Alpha, you will lose everything. This is why I have been working so hard with the council. I don't even know how I managed to get them to agree to allow you to marry outside of the clan, but this is your only chance of having a choice." Tsume looked at her son with resolution. "If you don't take this opportunity, as the Mother of our pack, I will be forced to kill your companion. Now, think hard about whether your stubbornness is worth that loss." With that said, Tsume left the room to nurse her horribly pounding headache. "Damned Hokage and her sake," she grumbled rubbing her temples.

* * *

An hour later, Kiba found himself outside of an apartment wondering if the occupant could help soothe his thoughts. Since he, too, would one day head his own clan, Kiba hoped that Shino could advise him on...well...anything. The prospect of marrying some girl he didn't know was scary, but the possibility of losing Akamaru made his blood run cold. Maybe Shino could give him a little insight.

Kiba knocked, then entered at the faint 'come-in'. He had been into the bug-handler's apartment many times, since they were very near to being best friends (neither would admit this, of course), but he was never really prepared for what lay inside. Shino had created a home that was...normal. His apartment consisted of plain furniture, basic appliances, and very little decoration. This was completely the opposite of what Kiba always expected. Every time he entered, he prepared himself for giant bugs crawling on the walls, or shed exoskeletons scattered everywhere. Safe to say that he was almost disappointed when he took his place on Shino's very normal tan couch which sat across from a very normal television that was currently displaying...soap operas?

The Inuzuka threw a questioning glance to Shino, and was answered with a slight shrug. Shino then proceeded to grab the remote control from the table and turn the tv off. "What's bothering you, Kiba?"

"Well, nothing's bothering me really, but I have a question."

"Hn.." was all Shino offered. He knew the dog-boy all too well, and knew that he was only this calm when he was confronted by an issue that he was actually required to think about.

"Well, when you take over as head of your clan, will you have to get married?" Kiba spoke quickly in order to get past his embarrassment. Boy, did he hate having to discuss getting married with another guy.

"Actually, yes. It is one of my responsibilities. My family and I are currently searching for a suitable mate. Why?" Shino did not have the hood of his coat up, so his hair and part of his face were uncovered. Most notably were his eyebrows, which were arched questioningly.

Kiba sighed. At least Shino would understand his situation, though he seemed a little too resigned in the prospect of being forced to marry. He told his teammate the situation with his clan and his mother and his thoughts on the whole matter. Shino listened intently the entire time, and when Kiba finished he sat thoughtfully for a moment.

"It seems to me that your clan realizes your great potential as a leader." Shino paused momentarily at Kiba's eye roll, then began again. "If they did not wish for you to be the Alpha of the clan, they would have stripped you of your rights already. As it is, they are willing to allow you to find a mate outside of your clan. Because of the nature of the Aburames' relationships with insects, I do not have that luxury. I must marry from within my own clan. At least, your family is willing to compromise with you; perhaps you should meet them half-way?" Kiba could not believe his ears. The closest person he had to a best friend was siding against him. Man, did this day suck.

"Yeah, I figured you'd say something like that. I think I'm just going to go home and sleep for the rest of my life."

"I do not think that hiding in your room will help you with your current situation." Shino shrugged again and flipped the television back on. At the obvious sign that the conversation was over, Kiba left his teammate's home. He needed help from someone who would side with him. And he knew exactly where to find him. With a firm nod, Kiba headed toward the Ichiraku ramen stand where he knew he would find the one person who would give him the kind of advice that he wanted.

"Oi, Kiba, haven't seen you in a while," was heard amongst slurps as Uzumaki Naruto finished off his third bowl of ramen. The blond boy set his bowl down on the table and belched enormously. Hinata stifled a giggle beside him. Naruto winked at his new girlfriend with a wide grin then turned his sapphire eyes on their friend and her teammate. The girl blushed and lowered her face to the point of hiding her pale eyes beneath the fringe of her black hair. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Oh, just thought I'd enjoy a bowl of the best ramen in town," Kiba said while sitting on the stool next to Naruto. As Kiba called out his order to the cook, Naruto fingered the fox-whiskers that adorned his cheeks which were his ever-present reminder of how he shared his body with the nine-tailed fox.

"You hate ramen." Naruto's eyes narrowed wondering what the dog-boy was up to. He liked Kiba alot, but he was nervous of him being around Hinata. The two had dated briefly, but Kiba had called it off abruptly, and Hinata had seemed to take it pretty poorly. Though, Naruto knew that Hinata was his girl now, he still didn't like the idea of her being around a person who had broken her heart so easily.

Kiba shrugged, "Well, I guess I'll just come out with it then." He then told his tale again to the only other shinobi in the village who he thought would understand him. He knew that Hinata would feel the same way, since she was dating Naruto who obviously was not a Hyuuga. And, since Naruto did not belong to a clan, he was sure not to appreciate the idea of being forced to marry against ones will. He was utterly shocked by their responses.

After a short pause at the end of his story, Hinata spoke. "D-don't you understand that clan l-laws are p-put into place for the good of the c-clan? I was in your position once and was very near to having to marry Neji-kun, b-but since H-hanabi has become heir, I am free to choose my f-future husband." She blushed once again and looked down at her hands. Kiba was dumbstruck by this revelation. The implications of what it meant for Hanabi to become the heir to the Hyuuga legacy were vast. However, the shake-up must not have been too tumultuous considering that all parties involved, including Hinata and her father, were still very close. He was also disheartened by the fact that, though she would not have been happy, Hinata would have followed her clan's laws when deciding her future.

"You know, I currently don't belong to a clan, but if I chose to take my father's name and revive the Namikaze clan, I would have to marry someone who would be strong enough. I would probably go for a kunoichi, too, so you should be glad that those old farts on the council have even agreed to that," Naruto added while devouring Kiba's forgotten bowl of ramen. "So, any ideas as to who they're considering?"

At one time, Kiba would have wanted Hinata to be a possibility, but that was in the past. The two had attempted to date about a year ago, but the poor girl was just too love-struck with Naruto. Kiba, in turn, had swallowed his pride and ended the relationship before it could affect her too much. Unfortunately, since it had been her first relationship, she was still upset over the break-up. But, enter one oblivious knuckle-head to act as her knight-in-orange-armor, and Hinata was soon back to her old self.

"Ummm...can't really think of anyone who I'd want to spend time alone with, let alone marry." The canine-handler was having serious problems with his friends' lack of consolation, but their words had made him think along different lines. Not only was this about marriage, but it was also about breeding. He would have to perform his clans Bonding Ceremony, and that was just scary. A few years ago, he had accidently come across a scroll depicting said ceremony, and, being a hormone-driven teenaged boy, he had thought it would be just like reading porn. Boy, was he wrong. What he had actually uncovered was one of the most animalistic rituals that the Inuzuka clan performed. It was downright scary to realize that one day, he would be driven by instinct to mark his mate in the most primal way. Deep down, Kiba knew that this was alot of the reason why he was scared to marry. Yeah, the heightened senses that he had were awesome, but, to lose all rational thought in a fit of instinct-driven lust, freaked him out.

Kiba was brought out of his musings by a whispered, "Kiba, are you alright?" He must have had an awful expression on his face because Hinata had her hand on his arm with a worried look in her eyes and Naruto had stopped mid-slurp to stare at him.

"Yeah, I think I need to go home." He waved goodbye, then turned toward the holdings of the Inuzuka clan. He really wished he could talk to his dad about this.


	4. Thoughts on Love

**Heya. On to the next chapter. In response to the remarks about my speedy posting, the fact is that I don't do anything in the evenings after work. Writing this little funness gives me something to do, and I'm even more excited about it now because it has been received so well by readers. So, thanks for reading, and to all of those who have put this on alert. Now, to my reviewers:**

_**Earthbender 068**_**: I personally love the interactions with Tsume. I just imagine her as being ballsy as hell.**

_**Fairy of Anime**_**: I'm glad you like it.**

_**kelso the **_**: I know that I am bordering on some major ooc here, so, if it gets too bad, please tell me.**

_**Mei fa-chan**_**: Thanks, hope you continue to enjoy it.**

_**minniemousmom**_**: Glad you like.**

**Now, let's get this show on the road.**

**I don't own Naruto.**

A few days later found Sakura sitting in a cafe across from her best friend and most bitter rival, Yamanaka Ino. The girls had toned down their rivalry since they were no longer fighting for Sasuke's attention, but they still battled over who would be Konoha's top kunoichi. The two girls had leaned on one another through all of their trials both as shinobi and as women, but, today Sakura was not in the mood for Ino's...girliness. Every time that Sakura was even slightly depressed about anything, be it work or her family or whatever, Ino would proceed to blame her troubles on not having a steady male in her life. The busty blond would then flaunt her splendid relationship with Akamichi Chouji for all the world to see.

Now that was a relationship for the ages. The two had known each other since they were children, having fathers that worked on the same squad allowed for that, but Ino had always crushed on Sasuke. Of course, in the Uchiha's absence, Ino had changed her mind about loving someone who had betrayed his village to gain vengeance. She knew that she would not have been able to handle that bag of worms when and if he ever came back, so she had, much like Sakura, put all her effort into strengthening herself. And now Ino could claim knowledge of some of the Yamanaka clan's most powerful and secret mind control techniques. The girl oftentimes found herself assisting Ibiki-sensei in questioning enemy ninja.

It was during her quest for power, that Ino had finally noticed Chouji. He had grown into his role as future head of the Akamichi clan, and had developed a few of his own body-expansion techniques in the process. He had gotten tall which proportioned his weight a little better, and that, along with his sexy long reddish hair, made Ino blush more than she ever thought capable.

So, anyways, currently Sakura was feigning interest in another one of Ino's rants about how wonderful it was to be in love, and that she just wished Sakura would find a guy already.

"Really, when was the last time you had a date?" Ino inquired.

"Well, I haven't had an actual date in a while, but who needs to date anyways? All dating is, is a guy asking permission to get into your pants, and I'm perfectly capable of letting a guy into my underwear without having to go through the awkwardness of pretending to like one another." She nonchalantly took a drink of her green tea while trying to keep a lid on her rising anger. She really didn't like where this conversation was going.

"I take it things didn't work out with a certain silver-haired copy-nin?" Ino rolled her eyes; she had tried to warn Sakura not to get involved with him. Sakura was not the kind of girl who could have a purely physical relationship with someone. Everyone knew that, even Kakashi. Why the hell did he have to let it get this far? Oh yeah, Sakura had reassured him that she hadn't put her heart on the line this time. Yeah, what a joke.

"Listen, Pig, I'm not in the mood for 'I told you so's, so don't even start."

"When are you going to get it through that huge forehead of yours, that not everyone falls in love as easily as you?"

Sakura's eyes, which had begun to sparkle bright green with the fire of anger, widened for just a second before filling with tears. "See, Forehead, this is what I mean. You're too emotional. This is exactly why you're such a terrible shinobi. You need to keep those feelings reined in and only let them out a little at a time."

This caused her pink-haired friend to snort with an effort to contain her laughter. "This from the girl who fawned over Sasuke worse than I did?"

"Yeah, well I learned my lesson, why haven't you?" Ino replied bitterly. The two girls sat silently for a moment before Ino completely changed directions. "So, I know this guy..."

_What the hell, she bitches because I don't date, then yells at me for falling in love, then talks about setting me up with someone. I think her mind control techniques are causing brain damage, _Inner Sakura pouted.

_I know, but she's my best friend, and she does really look out for me, _Sakura replied.

_Shit, she's trying to set us up on a blind date. Time for a subject change... _Inner Sakura waved her arms frantically.

"Sorry, Pig, no can do. I'm back on the active duty roster, and..." Sakura was cut short by a shower of green tea as Ino nearly choked on her drink.

"You, what? I thought you wanted to focus on healing people at the hospital and training with Tsunade-sama. Why are you going back on active duty? Don't tell me this is because of that jerk, Kakashi..."

"No no, it's not because of that idiot. I'm just getting burnt out on working at the hospital with civilians," she waved off Ino's eye roll. "Seriously, I want to hone my skills in the field during combat, so I'm taking missions again. Oh, and the cool thing is, I now am required to learn the backgrounds and histories of all of the prominent clans of the village so that I'll be able to heal them specifically if need arise."

A blond eyebrow raised, "Like what?"

"Well, let's say that you and I are on a mission together, and you have complications with one of your techniques. By studying your clan's medical background, I will be able to ascertain what of my own techniques to utilize in order to get you healed and ready to use your techniques by the quickest means possible." Sakura sat back with a smug look at her friend's awestruck expression.

When Tsunade had hefted the files of all of Konoha's prominent clans into her arms with direct orders to learn everything she could, Sakura had questioned the woman's sobriety. With an obvious eye twitch Tsunade had explained that she wanted Sakura to learn everything that she could in a medical capacity in order to be more effective during battle. Realization struck the pink-haired apprentice that this was a way for her to be prepared for most situations with almost any teammate, and that she would, in theory, then be able to assess and be in control of nearly any medical problem while in the field. She knew this was her mistress's way of building her self-confidence, and she loved her all the more for it. That evening she had gone through the entirety of the files for both the Aburame and the Akamichi clans. She had also skimmed through the Inuzuka and Yamanaka clans, and was even surprised to see a small file on the Namikaze clan as well. She was slightly puzzled to see a section in each clan's file that included it's politics and marriage rituals. Sakura had shrugged this off as very thorough but completely unnecessary research, and had removed these sections from each file.

"Sakura, I'm so proud of you!! You're finally acting like a real kunoichi," Ino squealed, as it was her turn to be bathed in tea as her friend tried not to choke on her drink.

* * *

_Man, this sucks. When are they going to quit talking?_ Kiba yawned then shifted his position for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening. He was not often required to attend clan meetings as he was not yet clan leader, but this meeting directly concerned his future. Thus his attendance was a must. He was currently listening to the council members drone on and on about the importance of upholding their clan's most sacred of laws, and how they must not make hasty decisions in dealing with the entire clan's future. The eldest member of the group, a large grey-haired wolfish man whose clan markings marred his cheeks like deep scars, motioned toward Tsume. It was time for his mother to relay his decision.

After his discussions with Shino, Hinata, and Naruto, Kiba had grudgingly realized that his mother had truly given him the best opportunity in this ordeal. At least, he would be able to choose his mate as opposed to being forced into his marriage completely oblivious until it was over. Thus, after leaving Ichiraku a few nights ago, Kiba had found his mother at the kitchen table poring over numerous files of available Leaf kunoichi. She had invited him to sit with her, but he had resigned by saying that he trusted her judgement. Tsume, realizing that her pup had succumbed to reason, decided to treat him to his favorite dinner: a nice juicy steak with a side order of... another steak.

During their meal, the Inuzuka mother informed her son that he would have to attend the next council meeting so that they could let the elders know of his decision. She had warned him that they would want him to perform the Chakra Infusion with Akamaru that day. At his questioning look, she merely winked and replied that he should ask his companion about that and many other of their clan's rituals. Later, she brought him many scrolls that outlined what he would be required to do. One of which had, in turn, been the scroll that illustrated the dreaded Bonding Ceremony.

Kiba was snapped from his musings when Tsume rose from her seat and took her place before the council.

"I, Tsume, acting Alpha of Clan Inuzuka speak on behalf of my son, Kiba." She pointed to where Kiba fidgeted nervously with Akamaru at his feet. The great white dog looked up to his human companion and winked, in a gesture to calm the boy. The gesture went completely missed. Tsume continued, "As is the requirement for all Inuzuka males who take upon the mantle of Clan Alpha, Kiba has acquiesced to the necessity of finding a mate." Murmurs filled the room, and all five council members nodded in approval. "However, the decision still stands that he will choose his mate from either Clan Inuzuka or any available Konoha kunoichi." A wave of shock passed through the room. It seemed that many did not enjoy the idea of him marrying outside of the clan. Now, Kiba understood the significance of the council's little speech on not changing clan law unless necessary. This was exactly what they were doing, and they were doing this for him.

A short, round Inuzuka female who was a member of the council raised her hand in an attempt to gain silence. "It has come to this council's attention that, while we wish to uphold our clan's laws for the good of our families, we must also realize that our clan's leaders must be worthy of carrying said title. This council has decided that in order to allow for the best possible individual to act as our leader's life-mate, we must review all candidates who portray the strength and leadership necessary. Kunoichi, by definition, are the embodiment of this idea; therefore, we have ruled that Kiba may choose his mate from beyond Clan Inuzuka, only if the woman in question is a kunoichi." This did not appease many, and the room erupted once again.

Another male council member, this one very old and frail looking, stood abruptly and slammed his fist onto the table. "This is the council's decision, and we will not be swayed. Kiba and Tsume are both aware of the implications if he does not find a mate soon, and perhaps this will allow him to find her as well as bring new strengths into the clan. It would not hurt us to understand new techniques that will be brought in by a member from another clan." The room quieted. So, it was finally out; this was as much a political move as any. The council members wanted to gain secrets from another clan in order to strengthen their own.

"Now, if this discussion is over," came the small voice of the slip of a woman who was the only other female council member, "perhaps we should move on to the Chakra Infusion?" At that, all eyes turned to Kiba and Akamaru.

The two rose from their seats and made their way to stand beside Tsume. This was supposedly a simple ceremony, or at least that's what Akamaru had said. Since Akamaru, himself, had never participated in this activity, he could only go by what he had heard. Neither dog nor boy truly knew what to expect. All they found out from reading the scrolls provided by Tsume, was that this was a ritual that would infuse some of Akamaru's chakra with Kiba's own chakra. Apparently this would assist in bringing the human's heightened senses of hearing and smell to an even more acute level. This would assist him in sensing the emotions and moods of a potential mate, and it would also allow him to sense if she were already mated to someone. The Chakra Infusion would also trigger Kiba's natural dominance instincts which would assist him in claiming his mate. Upon reading this part of the scroll, Akamaru had chuckled and commented about how Kiba's hotheadedness would be sure to rival Naruto's at that point. As response, he had received a swat across the face with a pillow.

Now, the nervous companions stood facing one another as Tsume took her son's right arm and pulled it loose from his heavy coat. She then stood behind the boy bracing him and held his arm out toward Akamaru. The great white dog whined pitifully as he placed his mouth over his human's forearm. He looked up at the boy, waiting. Kiba took in a long breath, nodded and closed his eves bracing against his mother. He felt a sudden jolt of pain a his canine companion bit down into his arm just enough to sink his fangs in. As the blood flowed from the puncture wounds, Akamaru forced his own chakra through the place of contact so that it could fuse with Kiba's. The pain in his arm dulled momentarily as he felt the warmth of the incoming chakra. Surprisingly, there was no bodily reaction to the invasion of foreign chakra, but then again, this _was_ Akamaru.

After a few intense moments of infusing his chakra into Kiba's, Akamaru released the boy's arm. "Now maybe you will be able to actually put those Inuzuka senses to use, even if it is only in finding a bitch to breed." This comment caught Kiba completely off guard, and the boy's gaping expression elicited chuckles from throughout the room. With the end of the Infusion Ceremony, came the close of the meeting, and Kiba soon found himself heading toward home with his mother and their canines in tow.

As they meandered toward their house in no particular hurry, Kiba's senses were in over drive. It seemed that he could hear the very heartbeat of those walking with him, and he could smell everything. However, his mother's scent is what spoke to him the most. "Why can I smell dad on you when he's been gone for years?"

Tsume sighed. This was going to be such an ordeal. Their clan's mating ritual was a specifically male process because it required the dominant instincts of the Alpha to initiate. She had absolutely no idea of how to prepare Kiba for what he was about to go through, but at least she could answer this question. "One of the side effects of being intimate is that your scent mingles with your partner's." Kiba paled at this thought, and Tsume laughed outright at her son. "Did you actually think that I didn't know the day you lost your virginity and which little _civilian_ took it?" The boy actually blushed at the thought of his mother knowing about his romp with a civilian girl a few years ago.

"Anyways, the scents stay mixed depending on the frequency of the occurrence and the strength of the couple's bond. Since I am Bonded to your father as his life-mate, I will always carry some of his scent." Kiba nodded thoughtfully. Then another question struck him.

"But, if the Chakra Infusion ceremony is only performed with males, how is it that you can smell who I've slept with?"

"I'm your mother." She offered no more explanation, and whisked passed the boy in order to enter their yard. Kuromaru only shook his head and sniggered as he trotted past.

"Apparently this is one of those 'you'll understand when you have pups of your own' situations," offered an equally stumped Akamaru from beside him.

"Well, I guess I'll figure it out soon enough." Kiba patted Akamaru's head frowning thoughtfully at the prospect of having children. He shook the thought from his mind then followed his mother into their home.

**I don't know how I feel about this chapter, so please let me know if it sucks. Also, what did you think of Tsume's eloquence when addressing the council? I'm having so much fun with that character. Anyways, sorry the plot is taking so long to unwind. Hopefully we'll see the love-birds on a mission together very soon.**

**Thanks, Bunny**


	5. Matchmaking Hokagestyle

**A/N: Good Evening all!! Just sayin' the usual thanks to all who alerted my musings. Big hugs to **_**minniemousemom, **__**Inquisitor Soarn, **_**and **_**Fairy of Anime**_** for more great reviews. Oh, and **_**Fairy of Anime**_**, I guess you're right, maybe I should start calling him super-Kiba!! Thanks for the loves!**

**Don't own Naruto.**

"So, how far have you gotten in your quest of knowledge," asked a very groggy Tsunade. It was very early, and she, for some reason, was in some office talking to Sakura about something... Oh yeah, this was her _own_ office, and she had something important to give her apprentice.

"Oh, Shishou, I am very happy to report that I've thoroughly read through all of the files concerning the medical histories of both the Aburame and Akamichi clans. I have also begun to forge my way through the information about the Namikaze family," Sakura was so excited about this assignment that she could barely contain herself. The previous day, it had taken everything she had not to skip training in order to spend all day lost in medical texts. "However, I don't know who compiled those files, but they did unnecessary research."

Tsunade's jaw clenched, "I did. What do you mean unnecessary?"

Sakura paled at the thought of an insulted Tsunade this early in the morning, so she quickly finished her previous thought. "I-I only meant that information about each clan's politics and rituals is not important; otherwise, the files are impeccable." She hoped this would appease the older woman, whom, after a moment, seemed to deflate with a sigh. Perhaps, it just wasn't worth it to be riled up this early.

"Did you know that most Aburames will not be healed by anyone that they are not related to?"

"Ummmm...but, I've healed Shino many times."

"Yes, but Shino knows you, as does his family. If you had read my file concerning their politics, you would know that this is done in an effort to keep outsiders from stealing any one of their secrets. Concessions can be made in emergency situations, when only the most basic care necessary will keep them alive until they can be returned home, or if the injury is very minor. Also, in an effort to keep family secrets, they, under no circumstances, are allowed to marry outside of their clan."

"Oh, I had no idea..."

"Now, I suggest you reread all of the files you have gone through, especially the information about each clan's politics and rituals. The next time I see you, I want you to be able to give me an explanation as to how you could persuade an Aburame, that you don't know, to allow you to heal him." With that said, she moved on to more pressing matters. "But, put all other reading material aside for today, and focus on that of the Inuzuka clan."

"Why," Sakura wasn't sure if she liked the little gleam of mischief in her mistress's eye.

"You have a mission tomorrow, with Kiba."

"Awww...come on, I thought I quit having to babysit when I was no longer on a team with Naruto." She had never really worked that closely with the dog-trainer, but she knew how arrogant and hot-headed he could be. On Team Kakashi's one mission with Team Kurenai, Kiba had lashed out at any potential foe almost as quickly as Naruto. Their quick tempers were nearly matched. Kiba had also had no qualms about telling Sakura how weak he thought she was. He had reminded her several times about her failure at her first try at the chuunin exams, as well as how her attempt at protecting her team in the Forest of Death had resulted in a crappy haircut and having her ass saved by Ino. After a moment of inner reflection causing a creased forehead, Sakura suddenly drew a smug smile; perhaps she could show him how strong she had become by handing him his ass and refusing to heal his injuries.

Tsunade had been watching Sakura's thoughts as they were plainly written across her face. The girl's expression went from annoyed to sad to angry to defiant in seconds. The Hokage smiled to herself. If anything, her little matchmaking scheme should be interesting. Just then, both women were pulled from their thoughts by a knock at the door. At Tsunade's affirmative grunt, her assistant, Shizune, opened the door to allow entrance for Sakura's temporary teammate.

Upon being showed into the office, a very disgruntled Kiba took a seat next to Sakura as a passive Akamaru sat at his feet. The boy was not adjusting well to his new senses, and what had hit him as he approached the room was equal to being run over by a freight train. The primary scent was to be expected. Tsunade's normal smell of old woman and sake was infused slightly with that of Shizune's, which was to be expected since they were both in the office so much. What he didn't like was the unmistakable male scent that combined itself with every fiber of the Hokage's essence. Originally, he had been thrown off by the fact that Shizune smelled an awful lot like Anko-sensei, but what he smelled on Tsunade made his hackles raise. This scent was unforgettable. It was Orochimaru.

Of course, there had always been speculation as to Tsunade's relationships with her ex-teammates. Some had even thought she had taken up with Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, before his death, but most thought she still pined for her other teammate. Kiba now understood her relationship with both men. She had never slept with Jiraiya, but she had been very intimate with the snake-summoner. It had obviously been a long time ago, but they had had a very close bond. As far as Kiba knew, the only way for his scent to still be wrapped up in hers was for them to have been life-mates. Their bond had to have been extreme on both a physical and emotional level. So, apparently Orochimaru hadn't been so evil his entire life. He had obviously loved Tsunade at one point.

When he had come into the room; however, Kiba lost all train of thought dealing with the Sanin. His senses shifted into high gear as he was bombarded with a very agitated Sakura. She smelled like rain-soaked cherry blossoms, and the fact that she was fuming about something caused her scent to overpower all others. Kiba's sensitive ears could pick up the erratic beat of her heart, and he began to wonder what had her so angry.

"Sakura," he gave by way of greeting.

"Hello, dog-breath," Sakura crossed her arms and pointedly looked out the window.

So, he was the cause for her anger? What did he ever do to piss her off so much? Whatever, he didn't really care, so he focused his attention on the other woman in the room.

"How can I help you today, Hokage-sama?"

"I have a very important mission for you. This is a standard C-rank delivery mission. You will carry a scroll to Temari of the Sand in Suna, and bring back her reply. Sakura will be your partner for this mission." All of this was said as Tsunade rummaged through the drawers of her desk. She missed Sakura's eye roll, but was not able to miss Kiba's frustrated growl.

"Why am I being put on a stupid C-ranked scroll delivery? Surely, Sakura could handle something so simple herself, or has it been too long since she's been on a real mission?"

"Listen, dog-boy, it's not like I'd want to spend any time with you and your stupid dog-smell..." Sakura was cut of by the killing glare that was being directed at both parties from a certain blond Hokage.

"If I must explain it..." Tsunade folded her arms across her chest and sat back in her chair. "Sakura has not been on a mission for a while, so I wish to ease her back into it. Also, Kiba, your mother has informed me of some stress that you may be under due to clan obligations, and I thought that you may appreciate something a little more relaxed. Now, don't get me wrong, this scroll has very important information on it, but it is not life threatening. Thus, it will not be necessary to rush this mission and stress yourselves." She opened her eyes and looked at the two who were pointedly ignoring one another. "Of course, I could always get Ebizu and his squad to go..."

"Fine," came the answer from both youths.

"So, you will leave tomorrow at dawn. Now, get the hell out of my office before you really piss me off!!"

Kiba and Akamaru were the first to leave the office, and decided to wait outside to speak to Sakura about the mission specifics. He was not happy at all with this predicament. Not only was he stuck with an assignment that did not utilize his tracking skills in the least, but he was also stuck with Sakura. She had the worse reputation of buckling under pressure, and the fact that Tsunade thought this mission was less than life threatening did not help at all. Add this to the fact that he would be in close proximity to her for the next few days, especially when he could pick up on the slightest fluctuations in her mood and health, he was sure that he would end up killing her. The girl was just not stable emotionally and her temper flared easily, and that was sure to wreak havoc on his nose.

It also didn't help that, as soon as he had smelled her, his dominance instincts had kicked in. When he had gotten that initial whiff of her unique pheromone, he had also detected something very masculine. It seemed that the male scent was quickly fading, which meant that she had slept with someone recently but was no longer attached to that person. Kiba's own hormones had begun to scream for him to claim her in an effort to disperse the male fragrance and replace it with is own. God, he hoped this wasn't how his body would react with every unmated girl he came across.

While discussing this revelation quietly with Akamaru, Kiba was again bombarded with the fragrance of rain-soaked cherry blossoms mixed with something male. He glanced over his shoulder to see the pink-haired med-nin walking toward him. Okay, so she wasn't bad to look at, so maybe this mission wouldn't be all bad. The girl was still very petite, and, though she was a kunoichi, she was still very feminine. Sakura had continued to wear her trademark red sleeveless top, black shorts, and white medic skirt, but she had added the forest green utility vest that accompanied becoming a chuunin. With the vest zipped up tightly and her hip-pack firmly in place, her feminine attributes were very nearly hidden. However, one could not ignore the silky smooth look of her arms and legs and the gentle flair of her hips. Okay, so the increasingly uncomfortable Inuzuka heir was beginning to feel that this mission may not be a good idea after all. Just assessing his teammate had begun to rouse his instincts to dominate her, and he was sure that being permeated by her scent over the next few days would drive him insane. So, he acted out in the only way he knew, in anger.

"Can I help you," he growled.

"Well, since you left before Tsunade could give you these," she held up two scrolls, "I thought I would give them to you. Our team leader needs to go over the mission scroll in order to let the rest of the team know what we are doing." She pushed the scrolls into his hands.

"Fine, meet me at the gates at dawn, and I'll brief you. Then we'll head out." Sakura turned and began to walk way, still fuming about the idiot's attitude. "Oh, and, Pink, don't think that I'll forget about your little comments about babysitting and me smelling like a dog. You will have to pay for them." As Sakura whirled around to loose a tirade of expletives in Kiba's general direction, there was a sudden poof as both boy and dog vanished into thin air.

Oh...if he thought he could treat her like any bitch, he was in for a world of hurt. Setting her jaw in the resolution of beating a certain dog-boy within an inch of his life, the pink-haired kunoichi headed home to arm herself with information about the stupid jerk's clan. Maybe she could find out something that would enlighten her on why he had to be such an ass all of the time.

**Sorry for the shortness, but I had a little trouble here. Perhaps the next chapter will be easier.**


	6. Sparks Flying?

**I'm back!! So, the usual thanks to those who have alerted this story and my usual list of reviewers. And those are: **_**, Omegakiller446, Earthbender068, minniemousemom, Lady Love, Mei fa-chan, Inquisitor Soarn.**_** If it weren't for you guys, I don't know what I'd be doing in the evenings. Loves.**

**Don't own Naruto.**

Dawn the next morning broke with sunshine and singing birds. It also brought with it the added heat of mid-August, which was already a scorching temperature at this early an hour. Traveling in the dense forest, then into the deep desert was sure to make this mission uncomfortable at best. It was a good thing that they didn't have a specific time line in which to complete this delivery so they could travel at a slower pace.

Kiba, being in no hurry to begin this mission, wandered his way through town conversing with Akamaru about their previous evening. The two had decided to enjoy a nice walk before turning in to prepare for their mission. Kiba was still trying to control his maniacal senses, and he was failing miserably. Any time the two would come within a hundred feet of any remotely available woman, his nose would pick up her smell, and he could hear her emotions through her heartbeat. He had to figure out some way to quell his instincts if he was going to survive spending time with Sakura. He had come to terms with the fact that he apparently liked her scent, as did Akamaru, but he needed to keep from doing something that could jeopardize their mission.

"You know, maybe your body has decided that she's the one to choose as your mate," Akamaru had mused aloud.

"Awww, come on, how can you make that conclusion?"

"Well, considering how your natural instincts have reacted to her..."

"That's exactly what it is." Kiba stated, "She was the first person that I had come in contact with since the Infusion Ceremony, and add that to the fact that I haven't had a date in a while..."

"Kiba, I don't think this is just a case of adolescent horniness." Akamaru sighed.

"What do you know, how many bitches have you had lately?"

"More than enough to know that the instinct to screw is different than the instinct to mate. Just wait, you'll see what I mean."

"No, explain now...wait." Kiba sniffed the air, "I know that scent." He sniffed again and turned in the direction from which it was coming. He couldn't place what he was smelling, he just knew he didn't like it. The trail took him around the corner of a building, where he was so caught up in his search that he walked head-first into Kakashi.

"Yo," came the slight wave as the silver-haired man did not even bother looking up from his book.

"Uhh...sorry Kakashi-sensei," Kiba began, but the elder shinobi was already moving along his path. He raised his hand to wave without a glance over his shoulder.

It was then that Kiba had been struck with that familiar smell once again. It was a scent of deep woods, much like the man had spent much time traveling through the forest. There was also a slight hint of cherry blossoms which was being overpowered by some other floral scent. Kiba then realized that that smell came from Kakashi, and that this was what he had sensed on Sakura the day before. Kakashi was the most recent person that Sakura had slept with. He also came to the conclusion that Kakashi had moved on from Sakura to another bed partner very recently. A moment of unbridled jealousy clenched in the Inuzuka's throat, but then he shook it away.

"What the hell is wrong with me," he said to no one. However, Akamaru had felt the need to answer.

"I told you, Sakura is a match as a potential mate, and your body does not enjoy finding traces of another male on her. I suspect that your dominance traits also don't like the fact that, since he has moved on, she is probably hurting right now."

"Yeah, well. I still thinks it's just that I need to get laid."

When Kiba finally meandered his way to within sight of the gates, he caught a glimpse of pink and knew that Sakura was there waiting for him. She had probably been there for several minutes, but didn't seem to care about his tardiness. Of course, being on a team with the great copy-nin Kakashi as well as not-so-punctual-himself Naurto, had probably acclimated the girl to waiting since one or the other was always late.

As he stepped closer, the Inuzuka, once again, was surrounded by the light fragrance of rain-soaked cherry blossoms, as well as that, thankfully, rather faded essence of Kakashi. Another few steps brought him within sight of her upturned face, which seemed to be enjoying the touch of the bright early morning sun. It was then, that the dog-trainer sensed the almost palpable turmoil that was rolling off of her.

Sakura was extremely anxious about something, and this anxiety was distressing her body. Her heartbeat was irregular and her body was tense. It seemed that she was ready to head into battle, which he didn't understand since this was supposed to be an easy mission. Surely, the girl wasn't this upset over their little argument the previous day? He stepped in front of her blocking the sun, and she looked up giving him her most radiant smile.

"You're finally here, now we can leave." Kiba had been prepared for her to comment on his tardiness, or send him flying with a superhuman punch, but he had not expected her to just get up and head out as if nothing was wrong. Scratching his head in confusion, Kiba looked at Akamaru who very nearly shrugged his shoulders then followed the lady out of the gates.

Sakura was so caught up in her own thoughts that there was no way that she could stop to reprimand Kiba for his tardiness. Especially not when she had ex-boyfriends to face. It had taken all of ten seconds after entering her apartment the previous night for Sakura to realize the implications of her trip to Suna. She would be required to conduct herself as the kunoichi that she was in order not to insult the Kazekage and create and international incident. And that would be hard considering that all that she wanted to do was land one good chakra-enhanced punch in his face just to let him know how much he had hurt her.

But, she knew she had no reason to be angry or hurt. She had known, going into that relationship, that Gaara was not able to show love, or most emotion for that matter. She knew he could feel love, just by his interactions with his siblings, his village, and with Naruto. She had just wanted to teach him how to express his feelings, but both of their tempers had gotten in the was. She was not domestic in any way and was not willing to submit so easily to his whims. Even without Shukaku inside of him, Gaara was still a very dominant personality, and, as confrontational as Sakura could be, the two clashed all the time.

And their anger was not the complete problem. Sakura was the type of girl who would give herself up completely to the man she loved, but she wanted to at least hear that he felt something for her. Gaara would only show that he cared anything for her in the bedroom. And, while he and his sand took being intimate to a whole new extreme, Sakura often felt that he was ashamed of their relationship. While she liked to let everyone know who she belonged to, he would fend off all public advances. Sakura knew that she was being irrational about his actions, and that her advances merely made him uncomfortable since he didn't know how to display emotions, but she was still hurt. In the end, Sakura had finally realized that her relationship with the Kazakage was nearly as one-sided as her love for Sasuke, and she had returned home. Gaara, of course, didn't really care that the relationship was over and had merely allowed her to walk away.

These memories were still too fresh to the pink-haired kunoichi, and she didn't know how she could handle seeing the red-haired sand-nin again after so long. Thus, she found herself embarking on this mission to a place that she had called home for several months to see people that she had grown to love much like family, and Sakura had no idea how to act when she got there. Luckily, Kiba had taken a clue and had left her to her thoughts.

* * *

Several days later found the weary travelers closing in on the gates that led into Suna, the Village Hidden in the Sand, and capital of the Wind Country. Sakura's feet seemed to grow heavier as they got closer to their destination.

"Ummmm...Kiba," she girl asked quietly, "do you think that we'll have to see the Kazekage while we're here?"

"Eh, I suppose we'll have to, considering that we're visiting shinobi here to deliver a scroll to the Kazekage's sister...Why?" Kiba tossed a sideways glance at his partner. She was looking at the road, and seemed to be in deep thought, yet again. He just wished she'd snap out of whatever...thing it was that she was in. Her emotions were in a whirlwind, and it had taken most of the trip to get a handle on his own because of their close proximity. He had gone from wanting to shake her, to hug her, to kiss her, and everywhere in between over the past few days. Finally, a day or so ago, Sakura had snapped enough into awareness to scold him for nearly burning himself while cooking their dinner.

It was then that she had noticed the puncture wounds on Kiba's right forearm. Sakura had practically jumped in his lap trying to get a look at the sores. He had adamantly refused to allow her to heal them, but the girl was relentless, so he had had to explain that she could not heal them because they were part of one of his clan's rituals. The girl had then surprised him by explaining that while she could not use her own chakra to heal the wounds received from Chakra Infusion, she could dress and clean them to keep out infection. At Kiba's shocked expression, Sakura had happily explained her new goal to learn about the healing specifics for all of the major clans of Konoha. And, for the first time in days, the girl resembled her old self as she spoke animatedly while sitting in his lap cleaning his wounds.

The entire process of disinfecting the bite marks on his arm had only taken moments, but it had been long enough for Kiba to fill his nose with her scent. This was not a wafting breeze that filled his nostrils, but deep inhales pulled directly from the source, so he sat there listening to the girl in his lap ramble as he took in as much of her as possible. He only stopped when he noticed that she had stopped talking and was looking up at him. When he opened his eyes, she had smiled a soft smile that held tenderness, and Kiba's chest clenched when he sensed longing in her eyes. Emerald was locked to gold for an intense moment before Sakura had then stood and moved to the fire to dish out their meals. The two then dined amicably, and had been on friendly terms since.

This small action of fully breathing Sakura in had seemed to calm his senses and had allowed Kiba to think clearly for the remainder of the trip to Suna. And the moment they had shared had Kiba thoroughly confused. Kiba had no idea what this meant, and he hadn't had a chance to ask Akamaru, since they were unable to speak privately. However, the boy would often see a knowing glint in the great white dog's eye which was rather unsettling.

"Well, I was just wondering, since the scroll is for Temari, and all." Sakura's voice brought him to the present.

"Don't tell me you have a crush on the Kazekage, or something, and were looking for an excuse to see him?"

Sakura's aura suddenly clouded, and anger rolled off of her once again. "No, I really don't find it necessary to see that man, but if we must, let's get this over with." With that said, Sakura dragged a confused Kiba to the guard station near the village gates.

"What business do Leaf shinobi have in Suna?" Asked a burly guard seated under an umbrella close to the gates.

"We have business with the Kazekage and Lady Temari," spoke Kiba while handing their mission scroll to the guard. The man looked over the scroll then handed it back to the dog-trainer. He signalled for the gates to be opened.

"Haruno, I trust you haven't forgotten how to find the Kazekage's tower?"

"No, sir, I haven't," Sakura answered without turning to face the man in question. Once the gates were opened, she stepped toward the center of town without even a glance toward Kiba.

"So, you know your way around this village?" Kiba asked. Sakura did not have the chance to answer before Akamaru interjected.

"Don't tell me you forgot that Sakura spent time in Suna beginning with rescuing both Kankorou and Gaara, and then in recreating their med-nin program. Don't you ever listen when people talk to you?"

It was Sakura's turn to add, "He is really just like a kitten with his attention span. Perhaps, that should be his nickname."

"Oi, Pink, with you training their med-nin, how reliable can they really be?"

Kiba felt his impact before he even realized that she had hit him. One chakra-enhanced fist to the stomach, and Sakura had sent Kiba flying through the street. As he attempted to collect himself from the dusty road, Sakura knelt to eye-level with him. "Now, I could be nice and check you for any injuries, but I guess the little kitten will have to find someone better to do it, huh?" Sakura, then stepped up to the Kazekage's tower and let herself into the building. Kiba stood and dusted himself off before following, grumbling about stupid bitches not knowing their places, and when he looked at Akamaru, the boy was rewarded with a not-so-well-covered snigger at his expense.

Upon entering the building, the two were suddenly struck with air so cool that Sakura wrapped her arms around her torso in order to warm her arms and body. Kiba cursed himself for not wearing his thick coat, but new that in the long run it had not been practical. He, instead had opted for his mesh-undershirt topped with his regulation forest green vest and black pants. Sakura, had worn her normal attire which was suitable for this climate. Neither had been prepared for cool temperatures.

Suddenly Sakura slapped herself on the forehead. "I forgot that they do not have lighting in most of the buildings, and that, along with an extensive fan system, is what keeps the buildings cool." She looked back at Kiba, "you should adjust pretty soon, kitten."

Before Kiba could answer, Sakura paused in front of a set of high double doors. "This is his office."

Sakura's body went rigid, and her anger at Kiba dissipated. By way of his super-senses, Kiba was able to note the sudden emotions of anger, sadness, and fear in the girl's scent. Her heart was beating so fast that he was sure it would soon explode.

"Are you alright, Pink?"

The girl seemed to gain her bearings with the use of her new nickname. "We need to talk about your blatant disrespect toward my person, but for now, let's just get this meeting over with." She knocked on the door and waited for a call to enter. All Kiba could do was wonder what had happened to Sakura while she had previously visited Suna.

The boy, once again scratched his head, confused, but entered the room with his partner when beckoned.


	7. Blond Ambition

**A/N: Hiya!! Much thanks, once again, to my reviewers: **_**Mei fa-chan, Lady Love, earthbender068, Inquisitor Soarn**_**, and **_**monya.**_** Oh, and Soarn, thanks so much for having mercy and not flaming me. Anyways, how is development going for you guys? I'm afraid that I may not be moving along quickly enough to keep interest. Please let me know. **

**Nope, don't own Naruto.**

Upon entering the Kazekage's office, Kiba was struck with how impeccable the room was. Bookshelves aligned the walls, but only a desk with two chairs opposite adorned the center of the room. The red-haired Kage was sitting in a window enjoying a slight breeze while deep in thought. Sakura stood in front of the man's desk fidgeting, and Kiba realized that, as team leader, he would have to initiate talks. He cleared his throat causing Sakura to jump slightly and Gaara to turn his attention to the room. His gaze immediately fell upon the pink-haired woman who was staring at the floor.

"Kazekage-sama," Kiba shifted attention from his partner to himself, "we are here to deliver a scroll to Lady Temari, as per request of Tsunade-sama, the Hokage of the Land of Fire."

"Fine, I will have you shown to a room where you can wait for my sister's arrival." The sand-wielder then brought his attention back to the young woman in front of him. "Sakura... how have you been?"

Sakura let out a startled squeak before she clamped her hands over her mouth looking wide-eyed around the room. Her gaze found its way back to the floor where it glued itself for the duration of the conversation.

Man, did Kiba hate having to be involved in political nonsense, especially when he had no idea what was going on, but he knew that what the girl had just done could have been taken as an insult. "Excuse my partner, Kazekage-sama, we have had a long journey." Gaara had not even acted as if he had heard Sakura's blunder, which Kiba had been sure that he would have taken as insult. Wait, did Gaara of the Sand just ask Sakura how she was? What the hell is going here?

"My assistant will show you to where you can wait to meet with Temari." And, with a slight wave, the sand-nin returned to his window, once again deep in thought.

The room they were shown to was a few doors down from Gaara's office, and held little more than a conference table and accompanying chairs. Kiba made himself at home while eyeing his partner. Sakura had not raised her head once, even while sitting in a chair near the door.

"Oi, Pink, what's the deal with you and Gaara?" Kiba was starting to get anxious, himself. He didn't know what was wrong with the girl, but she was so drenched in sadness that it was bringing him down just by being in near her. He had to figure out how to get her out of this slump, and fast. But, he didn't know the first thing about comforting girls. Luckily, salvation strolled in at just the right time.

"How did you get into the village without me knowing?" Came a cocky whine (A/N: not really sure about this, but go with me on it.) that could only belong to Temari. "Surely, I should have been one of the first to know if one of my dearest friends was coming to town? Why didn't you write," she whined again standing in the doorway with her hands planted firmly on her hips.

"Oh, Temari, I'm here for a mission, so I didn't have time to write, but good news...Kankorou, let goooo!!" Sakura screeched as she was engulfed in a huge bear hug brought on by the middle child of the Sand siblings. The older shinobi's short brown hair was mussed where his hood had fallen while in the act of pouncing on Sakura, and his purple face-paint was slightly smudged.

"Oh, but I've missed you, my little Blossom."

Sakura groaned, "What is it with you losers and nicknaming me things like Pink and Blossom? I almost prefer Sai calling me ugly."

"What do you mean 'us losers'?" Then Kankorou noticed the other Leaf ninja in the room. "Oi, Kiba, didn't need me to come save your ass again, I see?"

"Eh? Who saved whose ass the last time?" The dog-trainer asked with a raised brow. Kiba was relieved to have someone to talk to in order to get his mind off of all the pheromones that were currently flying through the air. Not only was Sakura's instability causing her scent to work in overdrive, but Temari's scent was far from faint. The blond not only smelled of her usual cactus flower fragrance, but she also reeked of Shikamaru. Man, Kiba had not needed to know that that lazy ass actually smelled like clouds. How can someone smell like clouds, really?

As Kiba and Kankorou caught up on one another's new abilities and such, Temari dragged Sakura down the hall to a ladies' room to freshen up.

"So, you've seen him." This was not a question, and Sakura knew exactly what the older woman wanted from her.

"Yes," she began haltingly, "But he's different. He actually asked me how I was. Temari, what's going on?"

"He's getting married."

For a moment, Sakura thought the floor had fallen from underneath her. She had to lean heavily on the sink in order not to fall. She looked into her friend's eyes as if to gauge whether her news was lie or not.

"You mean 'I can never love you like you need me to' Gaara is getting married?"

"Yes, he found..."

"The guy who used to carry Shukaku inside of him, as in sand demon?" Sakura was really skeptical about this revelation.

"Yes..."

"The guy I lost my virginity to?"

"Ehh...I didn't know that." The blond blanched for a moment. "Anyways, he met this beautiful village girl, and fell in love with her." Temari threw her arms around Sakura's neck and hugged the petite girl tightly, "And we have you to thank for it."

"Wait...what? How can I be to thank for him getting married?"

"You taught him that it was okay to love openly, and now he can."

"But, I left because he couldn't show me that he cared about me. After nearly a year, he couldn't even hug me. How did I teach him anything? Temari, he didn't even ask me to stay when I packed to leave. I've never even got a letter all these months."

"Well, let's just say that it took some time for things to sink in. After Gaara finally realized how much he actually did love you, and, that you were gone, he flew into a rage that lasted for days. He was completely inconsolable, and this building was nearly brought down with all of us inside." The blond released her friend from their hug, but took her by the shoulders to look her directly in the eye. "Girl, if you hadn't have left, you would have killed one another. We all know that. You two are too much alike, except in how you express your emotions. Well, all but anger. You both express your anger very violently." Temari shook her head to free her thoughts. "Just know that, because of you, Gaara was able to find someone who not only loves and accepts him, but is also compatible with him."

"You mean adores him unconditionally and worships the ground he walks on... And I'll bet she cooks, too."

"Hey, just because my brother can't deal with women who think freely doesn't mean that he's a complete moron. So, tell me about Kiba. What's up with you two?"

"Oh, no, don't even go there. We're just working together on this mission. That's it. I know that look, Temari, please don't try to start anything."

"Well, if you're sure. I'll leave you alone, for now." The two women began the walk back to where they had left their male counterparts. "So, Sakura, why exactly are you here on a mission, anyways? I thought you were focusing on hospital work? Wait, you didn't get your heart broken again, did you?"

Sakura threw her hands in the air and sighed, "Why can't you people just leave me alone. First, the Hokage, and now you. I swear, I can't get any privacy in this whole world." She carried on her rant as the two women entered the room in which they had left Kiba and Kankorou. When the women came through the doors, they saw the two males sitting at the table in deep conversation. And since Kiba had the puncture wounds on his right forearm exposed while in mid explanation, Sakura knew that he was outlining the basics behind the Chakra Infusion ceremony. The idea of heightened senses of hearing and smell must have been fascinating to the puppet-master.

Suddenly Sakura felt a twinge of realization. She had been traveling with Kiba since very soon after he had shared chakra with Akamaru in order to heighten his senses. Not only were these senses more powerful, but they were engineered in order to pick up feminine emotion and pheromones for the sole purpose of marriage. Oh, God, she must be driving Kiba insane. She hadn't bathed in days; had barely had a chance to find a stream in order to just wipe her sweat away during their travels. She must reek of dirt and body odor and who knows what kind of gunk she picked up along the way. And, at this moment, it was very difficult to fight the urge to sniff her armpit. Kiba must think she's a smelly, disgusting dirt bag. It was definitely time to get this meeting over with so that she could get to a shower!

"Excuse me, Mr. Team Leader," Sakura spoke across the room, "I believe we have a mission to fulfill."

"Oh, right." Kiba stood and patted himself while searching for the scroll they were to deliver.

"Don't tell me you lost it, you idiot." Sakura's temper was bordering on serious, and the eye twitch signified to Temari that it was time to take a step back.

"There it is, thanks, Akamaru," the dog-trainer handed the scroll to Temari and scratched the back of his head in a very Naruto-like manner.

The blond woman opened her scroll and read the contents as a her mouth spread into a grin that became quite nearly toothy. By the time she was finished reading, the sand kunoichi was in tears from laughing so hard at the Hokage's words. Kiba and Kankorou merely looked on in a shared form of mild confusion, while Akamaru ignored her all together as he was too busy napping. Sakura's eye twitch switched to a throbbing vein in her temple as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"May I ask what is so funny that the Hokage felt the need to send two highly trained Leaf jounin to deliver it?"

"Oh, nothing, my apologies, Sakura." Temari hid the scroll behind her back. "Well, it will take me about a day to finish my reply, so we'll show you to your rooms upstairs." She then turned and headed up the nearby stairs to show the two visiting ninja their rooms.

After depositing Kiba in one room, and showing Sakura to an adjoining room, Temari turned to leave. As if suddenly remembering something, she halted, "Oh... and I'll pick you up at 7, 'k?"

"Pick me up for what...shit, what month is it?"

"Yup, it's August, which means tonight is Wind Country's Independence Festival. And, since you and your partner are visiting shinobi, you will be expected to come as personal guests of the Kazekage..."

Kiba suddenly burst through the door that joined their rooms. "Is what this idiot is saying true," he asked thrusting a thumb over his shoulder toward Kankorou, who was giggling riotously on the floor.

"Now, what the hell are we going to wear? I kinda left my kimono at home."

"I know, and, unfortunately this is too short of notice to have one made, even for guests of the Kazekage, so we'll just have to make do. We will have your uniforms cleaned while you are resting, and you will be sure to wear your headbands across your foreheads. This will signify that, while you are our guests, you are still mission-bound. This will dispel any insults that may be caused by your attire." The Leaf ninja looked at one another skeptically. "Don't worry, Sakura we'll do something with your hair. Will that help?"

The pink-haired kunoichi sighed and plopped back onto her bed. "Whatever." The whole hair thing didn't even really matter. She had foregone much of the vanity that she had held in her youth when she realized that the boy she loved would rather hang out with a nasty old snake-guy instead of she of the pink hair. This had been a major blow to her ego, and now, six years later, all she did was brush the tangled mess from time to time. And, since she hadn't needed it short to keep it out of her way during missions, she had allowed it to grow out again. But she still kept the waist-length mess tied into a tight pony tail. The length could be a hassle, yes, but keeping it tied up kept it out of her face. And, now this mess was all the dignity she would be armed with when meeting Gaara's new fiance.

Kankorou was finally able to drag his sister from the room so that the weary travelers could rest, but Kiba was reluctant to leave. He still couldn't get over the fluctuations in the girl's scent. One moment she was so utterly depressed that he thought the whole world would turn blue, then she would jump to an anger that would enrage a butterfly if it were close enough. Perhaps, he could get a little insight from Akamaru, now that they could get some privacy. He was about to excuse himself, when she sprang to her feet and stumbled to her overnight bag.

"God, I need a shower," was all she offered. Kiba shook his head to himself; he rather liked the natural scent that was Sakura.


	8. Of Loving and Fighting

**A/N: Ahhh, I'm back. I apologize, but I have a few things to say, so this note with be a little long. Okay, for anyone who read the previous chapter early, I did edit it. I thought of something later in the evening and decided that it needed to be added. Check out the scene with Sakura and Temari in the bathroom, that's where the edit took place. Okay, a word of warning here. I have intensified our couple's relationship here, so don't be offended. It's not smutty, yet. Just remember that this story is Mature rated for content and violence, and I do fully plan to incorporate a lemon in here somewhere (come on, these two need some dirtiness). Also, I think the pace of this chapter is a little intense, so let me know how it works for you. Now, with that said, thanks to all who have put this story on alert. Loves to my reviewers, and sorry, but there are too many to name. Just know that I read each review and love you all.**

_**Inquisitor Soarn**_**: I am honored that you have not turned your flamethrower in my direction. If it gets that point, please let me know where problems lie.**

_**a thousand cranes**_**: It's funny that you asked about the Cinderella thing because I had already written most of this chapter by the time I read your review, and, let's just say that I don't think you'll be disappointed.**

_**Fairy of Anime**_**: Be careful what you wish for...**

"Come on, Sakura, you have to let me do something with that mop," Temari whined yet again.

"Why can't I just pretend that I'm a shinobi who's on a mission and just wear my forehead protector?" Sakura whined back.

"Because, though you are a shinobi who is on a mission, you are still a woman," the other woman replied as she forcefully pushed Sakura onto a stool in front of the mirror. "And, besides, maybe your future husband will be in the crowd tonight. Want to make a good impression, don't you?"

The pink-haired girl outright laughed at that prospect. "What you really mean to say is that you pity me my love life, and you are going to try to set me up with some random guy tonight, am I right?" Temari busied herself with the other girl's hair not meeting her eye. "Yup, I thought so. What is it with blonds and scolding me about my nonexistent love life?"

The blond looked up from her friend's locks with an incredulous expression. "You mean currently batting 0 for 3 love life, right? Your love life is not nonexistent, it just downright sucks. And, since you can't seem to make good decisions on your own, those of us who love you withhold the right to chose for you."

"Now you sound like Ino. Wait...did you just say that you have chosen for me? You and Tsunade-shishou are up to something aren't you? What exactly was in that scroll..." Her rant was suddenly cut off by an extremely loud hair dryer. So Sakura was left to brood inwardly as Temari prepared her for her night out.

_What could they possibly be plotting, _she thought to herself.

_I don't really care. Whatever, we'll just beat the shit out of whoever they've decided to set us up with, and that'll be the end of it, _replied Inner Sakura.

_Wait, they've been planning this all along. I'll bet that's the only reason why I was sent on this mission to begin with. Hmmm...since Temari is involved...You don't think they'd set me up with Kankorou, do you?_

_Ewwww, no way. Don't dig a guy in makeup, _Inner Sakura blanched.

_You sure did like Gaara._

_Hullo, that wasn't makeup. And don't tell me you don't think his eye markings aren't sexy as hell..._

_Ahem, please refrain from thinking dirty thoughts about a man who would rather marry some submissive little house woman instead of us._

_Not still bitter, are we?_ Inner Sakura rolled her eyes.

Okay, so this argument with herself was getting nowhere. So Sakura's thoughts wandered to the only other male within proximity, who, as it were, just happened to be one, Inuzuka Kiba. _Hmmm... according to my medical files, some Inuzukas are very sensitive to touch on their facial markings. I wonder if Kiba is one of those? I may just have to figure out a way to see for myself._

* * *

"Man, Akamaru, how can I be expected to represent Konoha and the Inuzuka clan in just a mesh shirt and pants?" Kiba looked across the room to his friend. The great white dog had sprawled across Kiba's bed while resigning himself to watch his human frantically attempt to make himself presentable.

"Kiba, you and I both know that tonight's festival is not what is bothering you."

"Well, now that you mention it, I did have something to ask you." Kiba stop rummaging through his overnight pack and rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully. "So, have you noticed how on edge Sakura has been lately?"

"Ah, so I thought that's what this was about. Yes, I've noticed her crazed emotions. It's beyond me how even normal people can't pick up on her duress."

"So, what do you think is the problem?" Kiba inquired while joining his friend on the bed.

"My guess would be that something happened between she and the Kazekage, and that Sakura did not handle it well."

"You don't think he hurt her, do you?" Kiba could feel his anger rising. Sakura was his teammate and friend, and he would not tolerate someone causing her pain. "If that bastard touched her, I'll..."

"I don't think he caused her physical pain, but the only way to be sure is to ask her yourself." Akamaru jumped off of the bed and yawned out a full body stretch. "Just so you know, if I am not mistaken, Kankorou wants to get his hands on Sakura, so you probably need to think about staking a claim soon. Of course, I think his lust is just toward women in general. He'd probably go after Temari if they weren't siblings."

"I smelled the lust on him, too. But, doesn't it seem that, if he wanted Sakura, he would have tried before now?"

"Well, if Gaara had had a claim on her once, well," Akamaru very nearly shrugged again, "he is announcing his engagement tonight. Maybe this is Kankorou's chance, since Gaara obviously can't keep her now."

It was Kiba's turn to shrug. He really hoped his friend was wrong because he sure as hell didn't feel like placing his claim on Sakura under these circumstances. Wait, when had he decided that he wanted Sakura in the first place? Damned hormones, and damned Akamaru for putting the idea in his head.

Kiba and his companion spent the remainder of their preparation time in silence. Kiba wore his freshly cleaned uniform with the vest zipped snugly in an attempt to hide the fact that all he had on underneath was a very revealing mesh shirt. He ran a comb through Akamaru's coat, then was in the process of tying his headband in place on his forehead, when there was a knock at his door.

Kiba grabbed his kunai pouch and headed out the door to be greeted by a very festival-ready Kankorou. The older shinobi wore an unadorned dark brown kimono tied at the waist with a white obi. He had foregone the purple face-paint, and wore a Sand forehead protector on his brow. Kiba looked at the decoration questioningly.

"Temari wanted to wear ours so that you won't feel so out of place." He shrugged and turned to walk away. "Shall we pick up the girls and be on our way?" Kiba gave a sideways glance to Akamaru and both stepped out to follow the other man.

When they entered Sakura's room, the boys were struck stupid by what they found. Temari, of course could command any room with her deep blue kimono which was decorated with tiny white fans and long blond hair that had been swept up and pinned at the sides with clips that were adorned with more fans. But, all three males were riveted to the pink-haired beauty who was fastening her kunai pouch to her thigh. One male saw her as someone who was, thankfully, not his sister and as the object of many lust-filled dreams from his past. Another saw her as the woman she was, both strong and beautiful, the obvious mate for his best friend. The third saw the woman whom he wanted to know so much more about, and whom he wished would give him the chance to prove her wrong about men and love.

Sakura noticed the intent stares and blushed delicately. She looked in the mirror to see if there was something wrong, and saw only her reflection. She had put on her well-worn, but freshly clean uniform just like she had been told to. However, this time, instead of using her forehead protector to pull her bangs out of her face, she had placed the symbol of being a Leaf village shinobi proudly on her forehead. Temari had worked around the headband and swept her hair up in a coif that was held precariously with a set of delicate ceramic chopsticks. The hair picks did not seem to have a tight hold on the pink mass, and it felt as if the entire thing would come undone at any moment. The blond had said that this was the point. As her hair loosened in the excitement of the desert evening, she would look disheveled and sexy. Sakura had scoffed at this remark, but she blushed all the same at its implications.

Kiba was suddenly bombarded with a myriad of scents. Sakura emitted her natural cherry blossom scent, but she also smelled of pride and excitement. The other scents were a mingle of nearly all other emotions that were heavily laced with the aroma of lust. Kiba wasn't surprised to notice the lust radiating from Kankorou, but he hadn't expected it from...Temari. He chuckled to himself lightly. The sand kunoichi was definitely interesting, but he would never understand her attraction to the lazy Shikamaru.

"Ummm...is there something on my face?"

"Oh, no, Blossom, you look beautiful, and I would love the pleasure of escorting you this evening," Kankorou shoved past Kiba and Akamaru eliciting low threatening growls from both boy and dog.

"Ahem, little brother, did you forget that you are duty bound to escort your _sister_ this evening?" Temari glared daggers at her brother who in turn mumbled an apology while taking her arm. The sand kunoichi swept from the room with a wink in Sakura's direction that did not go completely unnoticed by a certain dog-trainer.

"What was that all about?" Kiba asked.

"I have no idea, but just let it be. Who really knows with that woman?" Sakura walked out of the room followed closely by Kiba and Akamaru.

* * *

Kiba had finally begun to relax and enjoy the festivities even if Sakura remained tense the entire evening. Thankfully, the Kazekage had been too busy mingling with the villagers and introducing his new fiance to everyone, that he had not come too close to where the visiting shinobi were seated. And, the angel that was Temari, had kept her other brother occupied in the role of entertainer to keep him away from them as well. Kiba thought that this would be a prime moment to retrieve drinks for he and the pink-haired lady who seemed to dazzle everyone who met her.

It was not often, well no, one pretty much never saw natural pink hair, so tonight, much like any other public display, Sakura found herself being questioned about her looks. Mostly it was just little old ladies who wanted to know how to get the texture, or young women who wanted to know how to get the vibrancy, but, every so often, she would have to shrug off some random hand with the sole intent to cop a feel. At these times, she would apply just enough pressure to cause pain without alerting anyone in proximity. Kiba had had many laughs at the sight of would-be suitors who tried to touch what they thought was an exotic beauty, but who merely came back with crushed fingers and wilted prides.

On his return-trip from the refreshment table, Kiba heard the slight 'woof' from Akamaru that meant something was wrong, and he made a bee-line to the edge of the dance floor where he found Sakura being confronted by Gaara and his new lady.

"Sakura, may I introduce you to my fiance, Hotaru?" The Kazekage obviously had no idea what affect he was having on the girl in front of him, but canine senses knew exactly what was wrong.

"Oi, Pink, I brought you a drink," he handed Sakura the cup, which she took, grateful for something to focus her attention on. With his now-free hand, Kiba placed a reassuring palm on the girl's shoulder and gave a light squeeze. Akamaru sat on her other side near her feet and wrapped his heavy tail around her legs forcing the Kazekage and his fiance to take a step back. Kiba smiled at the raven-haired girl standing next to Gaara and said, "Hello, Lady Hotaru, I am Inuzuka Kiba, heir to the Inuzuka Clan of Konoha, and this is Haruno Sakura, apprentice to the Hokage herself." He gestured toward Sakura who took another hurried drink. "Sakura is the second best med-nin in Konoha, and will very soon surpass her mistress, right Pink?" He looked down at her with a wink.

"Yes, Sakura helped save the lives of both myself and my brother, as well as assisting in the recreating of Suna's own med-nin corps," Gaara spoke softly to the lady next to him. The girl smiled at him and nodded in agreement. Kiba and Sakura could both see that this girl was completely smitten with her fiance and was just happy that he was talking to her, it didn't matter what he was saying. They also knew that this girl could care less about Sakura's accomplishments. Kiba could sense her uneasiness and could tell that she was none too thrilled with being introduced to her lover's ex-girlfriend.

"Kazekage-sama, if you'll excuse us, we must leave early in the morning to return to Konoha, so we would like to head back to our rooms now." Gaara nodded, then meandered on to the next person anxiously awaiting acknowledgement from their leader.

When the two Leaf ninja had traveled several paces away from the crowded square, Kiba unzipped his flak jacket to let some cool air flow across his body. " I hate having to kiss ass just to save face. It sucks bad enough when it's your own family that you have to act all proper with, but it's worse when it's someone your own age!"

Sakura stopped walking, and stood looking at the road. "Thanks for helping me, Kiba. I just don't know what happened to me. Every time I'm close to him, I feel completely foolish and stupid. He broke my heart, but I've moved on. Or so I thought. How can he affect me like this, when I've done everything possible to put him behind me?" She was near maniacal by this time and had come to stand in front of Kiba. He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"It's because you let him. You think that you have to be a certain way in order for him to accept you, which is true. But, you are only fooling yourself by trying to be what he wants. He's moved on, now it's your turn."

"You know, you're right," Sakura's eyes glinted as she forcefully shoved the dog-boy against the wall of a nearby shop. She reached up and tried to kiss him, but he was too quick and turned his head. Anger sparked in Sakura's emerald eyes, and Kiba's senses were engulfed by her rage and anger. "Fine, have it your way."

Sakura took both of his wrists in her hands and applied enough chakra to hold his arms in place at his sides. She then followed the line of flesh left by the open zipper of his flak jacket with small heated kisses, all the while whispering softly, "Please just want me. Just for a moment, please." Before she could get Kiba's belt into her mouth in an attempt to undo the buckle with her teeth, Akamaru let out a low whine which distracted her momentarily. This was enough to allow Kiba to free his wrists and gain control.

"Sakura, stop." Strong arms turned the girl away from him, then encircled her body to where it was pressed against him. She could feel his warm ragged breath on the juncture of her shoulder and neck and moved her head sideways enough for him to gain access to the tender flesh. Fighting his instincts took every bit of strength he had, but Kiba knew that she was just hurt and angry right now. He could not take advantage of his friend like this, so he decided he would help her the best he could. Of course not before a little taste of the dessert that was Sakura.

He ran his tongue along her shoulder and throat up to her ear causing her to shiver in anticipation. When he reached the ear, he nipped it with a fang before whispering, "You have no idea who you are, and no idea what you want. You send mixed signals, and that's what scares guys away." He sent a gust of breath across her neck again before letting her know his feelings. "And, the next time you bare your throat to me, I won't hesitate to accept your offer." Sakura's body tightened at this confession as she felt one of his arms loosen enough to tug the chopsticks from her hair. "That's better, dominant personalities don't bare their throats to the world. Now, let's see if we can find you a more productive way to relieve that tension."

Kiba stepped to her side and tossed a wink at her. "So, was that punch earlier a lucky shot, or can you hit me again?" With another wink, he disappeared into a puff of smoke.

Sakura looked to Akamaru who merely nodded his head to the end of the street, "Down there, are the practice fields for visiting shinobi."

"Kiba, you sorry-assed bastard, just wait till I get my hands on you," Sakura shouted while pulling her chakra-gloves from her hip-pouch and running toward the field. She slid to a halt at the edge of the practice field to get her bearings. Sakura wasn't an idiot. She knew full well that she wasn't capable of taking Kiba on in an all out battle, so she needed to form a plan before rushing in head long. While performing a few simple stretches to loosen her muscles, the Leaf kunoichi took in her surroundings.

Unlike the wooded practice fields of Konoha, Suna's were made up primarily of sand and rocks. The field was barren and, except for a few low rock formations and some scraggly trees, there were few hiding places. Kiba, had of course found one, and waited for Sakura to make her move. While still stalling and pretending to check the tightness of her sandals and chakra-gloves, Sakura watched as Akamaru loped his way to one of the few trees on the field. After yawning and pulling a full bodied stretch the big white dog lay himself on the ground with head resting on forepaws. He obviously was not fighting alongside his companion. This meant that Kiba could not pull a few of his signature moves, which worked in Sakura's favor. Now, it was time to taunt the boy and try to get him to give away his position.

Sakura walked slowly onto the field with kunai at the ready. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty. Why are you hiding? Is the poor little kitten afraid of the mean old Sakura? Afraid I'll kick his ass once and for all..." He took the bait, and Sakura heard the telling breeze of his Piercing Fang Attack. Knowing full well that she was not fast enough to dodge the attack, Sakura slammed a chakra enhanced fist into the ground causing the earth to shift. A great slab of hardened sand grew out of the hole Sakura had created and impacted with Kiba's face while he was in mid-rotation causing the attack to dissipate almost immediately.

Now, it was Sakura's turn to hide. As she watched from the shadows of an outcropping of rock on the far side of the field, she hoped that Kiba would play fair and not use his sense of smell to track her. But, she had no intention of pulling her punches, so she wouldn't blame him for cheating too.

Kiba shook his head in attempt to both stop the ringing in his ears and reorient himself. Once he could see straight, he went into Beast Mimicry mode and, once again, sought his target. Thankfully, she was impatient and began flying from one hiding place to another while tossing kunai and shuriken at him. These were dodged easily, and he was able to assess a pattern of movement pretty readily. Thus, upon one trip between a grouping of rocks and a cluster of trees, Sakura was halted when Kiba's chest suddenly appeared in front of her. Sakura was caught, and she could do nothing about it. But, as Kiba brought his kunai to her throat in order to finish their fight, he heard a loud pop and was engulfed in a cloud of smoke. In his hands was a rock the size of a pineapple.

"A Substitution technique? You have got to be kidding me."

As the smoke cleared, the dog-trainer was unprepared for Sakura's next attack as she threw several kunai in his general direction, all equipped with exploding tags. Kiba was able to vacate the area before the paper notes went off, and, as he moved, he caught a glimpse of the girl's pink hair. He spun around to the other side of the group of rocks, and came up behind the girl to wrap his arms around her body. Again, he placed his kunai at her throat, but this time he was rewarded with the pop of a shadow clone as it disappeared. Kiba was prepared for her this time, though, as he detected the true Sakura by scent. She was sneaking behind him in an attempt to immobilize him with a kunai at his back, but he had her caught once again by using a Body Flicker in order to appear behind her.

The two went back and forth in this manner for several hours, and, at an hour or so before dawn, they collapsed on the ground beside Akamaru. Sakura had landed her punch, but not without gaining her fair share of injuries. Upon catching her breath, the med-nin looked to her partner's wounds, then healed her own before lying back to look at the early morning sky.

"Ummm...Kiba?" She chewed her lower lip nervously.

"Hn?"

"What did you mean when you said that I send mixed signals, and that I need to figure out who I am?"

Kiba was silent for a long time, and Sakura had decided that he either wasn't going to answer or he had fallen asleep. She was wondering how she was going to carry him all the way back to Kazekage tower without killing herself, when he finally spoke.

"The way I see it is that you can't get what you want out of the world if you don't know who you are. Like, with dogs...either you're an Alpha or you're not. Either you lead or you follow. _You_ try to do both. You want to be a strong shinobi in order to help those who are important to you, but you also try to be the kind of woman that you think others want you to be. What I think is that you should focus on being Sakura, and tell anyone who doesn't like who you are to kiss your ass."

Kiba looked over at the girl lying in the sand next to him and realized that she had fallen asleep. He sighed heavily while standing and dusting himself off. She probably hadn't heard a single word he had said. The Inuzuka picked the girl up bridal style and adjusted her to where he could comfortably carry her the distance to their rooms, but she protested sleepily.

"I don't want to go back to my room yet. Can't we stay here for a while longer?" She asked while cuddling closer to his warmth. Without another word and sighing deeply to himself, yet again, Kiba sat back down. This time, however, he leaned his back against Akamaru's sleeping form while adjusting the slightly snoring girl in his lap so that she was warm and comfortable. Akamaru brought his tail around to blanket the couple, and Kiba felt it was safe enough to rest for a short while. If anything happened, Akamaru would wake him.

**This extra long chapter is dedicated to my most faithful reviewers!!**

**Oh, and did you catch my Sailor Moon reference?**


	9. Orange Juice

**A/N: Oi, rough day at work today, so the chapter's a little short. I'll make up for it in the next one, though. Oh, and the Sailor Moon reference was Gaara's fiance. Her name is Hotaru and she has long black hair. Sailor Saturn's alter ego is Tomoe Hotaru. I know, it was a lame reference. But on to the love from you all. Thanks bunches to those who have put this story on alert. And, if I could, I would buy all of my reviewers a cookie. But, alas, I can't, so how about another chapter to this wonderful funness?**

**Don't own Naruto.**

Sakura stretched luxuriously and rolled to the other side of the bed. She peeked through her eyelids at the window next to her and saw, through the gap in the curtain, that the sun was already blazing brightly. It was still very early in the morning, but it was sure to already be terribly hot out. She stretched again. Though she had only slept for a few hours, she was refreshed. Those few hours had been her best night's sleep in months, and she knew it was because of she and Kiba's intense workout the evening before. And, though she had fallen asleep almost immediately after, which was a no-no by medical standards, Sakura could tell that the aches and pains present would wash away in a nice hot shower. Once again, Sakura stretched, enjoying the comfort of her borrowed bed.

Wait, how the hell did she get back to her room? She vaguely remembered lying in the sand beside Kiba and asking him to explain what he had said to her about figuring out what she wanted. She also vaguely remembered him talking about telling people who didn't like her to kiss her ass, but that was about it. She sat up, still pondering how she got home. That's when she caught a whiff of something awful.

It was a mixture of dirty feet, body odor, and dog. Wait, that smell was coming off of her. Why the hell did she smell like dog?

_Because our super hot teammate kept our stupid ass warm when we refused to go home last night, _came Inner Sakura's response.

_Oh yeah, I remember that I asked him to let me sleep under the tree for a while_, Sakura thought to herself smiling. _So, what was he saying when I fell asleep?_

_Just that you should figure out whether you want to be a kick ass kunoichi or a humble little housewife, and that you can't be both. Only after that, will you find someone who accepts you...and that you should tell anyone who doesn't accept you to kiss your ass. I find that to be pretty sound advice._

_Oh, I remember now...It was nice of him to keep me warm like that_, Sakura sighed remembering how it felt to be held close to Kiba's body.

_Aw, man, you're doing it again._

Sakura wrinkled her brow. What was her inner self taking about? She was just sitting on her bed conversing with herself in her mind. Perfectly normal.

_You're_ _falling for another one. Dammit, Sakura, when are you going to learn?_

_I have no idea what you are talking about,_ Sakura blinked innocently.

Just then, a knock sounded on her door. "Oi, Pink, you up yet?"

"Yeah, what do you want?"

"Get ready, we leave for Konoha in an hour."

"Fine, I'll be ready."

With that, Sakura lept up from the bed in order to take her shower. The warmth was sure to soothe her muscles, and she hoped it would relax her mind as well. Her thoughts were reeling with the idea that she had managed to manifest feelings for Kiba in such a short time, but she also wasn't very surprised. She did have to admit that everyone was right about her, and, while she had difficulty hating even Orochimaru himself, she readily loved anyone in her path. Not her best trait as a kunoichi, but she couldn't get past that.

Perhaps, she should take Kiba's advice and figure out what it was that made Sakura who she was. Tsunade had once said that Sakura's strength of heart was what made her a good medic, so it couldn't be a negative trait, right? Okay, so she had strong emotions that often dictated her actions. This was a good starting point. Now, how did that factor in to becoming the strong kunoichi that she wanted to be? This was going to take a while to work out, and she was lucky that she had a several day long tip in her near future that suited just this type of deep self reflection.

Once out of the shower and fully dressed, Sakura felt incredible. The sparring match the previous evening had worked wonders on her body, and she had actually made a mental note to make Naruto spar with her more often. She had feared that she may have gotten rusty in her long stretch of inactivity, but luckily that hadn't happened. What she had forgotten was the awesome rush of having to think on her feet while dodging attacks, and she wondered how she had gotten away from training almost everyday. Oh, yeah, usually training with Naruto meant having to deal with a certain raven-haired prick who she'd just rather not be anywhere near. So, maybe Naruto was not the best sparring partner. Kakashi? Yeah, like she would want to deal with that again. She shrugged to herself, surely she could find someone when she got back.

The pink-haired girl glanced at her reflection, and ran her brush through her tangled mess one last time. There really was no hope for the disaster that was her hair, but what was a girl to do? After contemplating pulling it up, she remembered dog-boy's comment the previous night and thought better of it. He was right, if she wanted to prove that she was an aggressive person, she really didn't need to be showing off her vulnerabilities.

Sakura's thoughts rested on their little exchange during her sudden...whatever it was. She couldn't place what had gone on in her mind at that moment. She really was glad that nothing had come of her sudden insanity, and she hoped that Kiba hadn't been offended. It was so embarrassing to think that she had thrown herself at him, but she also couldn't help but reminisce about how sexy his voice had been while pressed against her ear, and her mind threatened to run away with romantic nonsense once again...Okay, she did not want to go there, not right now. Another can of worms that she did not need to open at this moment, even though Inner Sakura thought it hilarious to visualize what clan markings, other than his cheek stripes, he may have and where. She was jarred from these thoughts, thankfully, by a knock on the door. "Come in. I'm nearly ready to go."

"Oh come on, Pink. I gave you an hour, why aren't you ready yet?" The dog-trainer whined as he swept into the room followed closely by Akamaru. He carried two glasses of what seemed to be orange juice in his hands. Upon entering the room, he was slightly confused by the strong musky smell that radiated from Sakura. She had never smelled this way before, and it took him a moment to realize that it was her arousal pheromone. So, Sakura got horny, too. This was interesting because he hadn't detected this on her the previous evening when she had practically begged to get into his pants. But, he also knew that sex hadn't been what she wanted at all, she was just really angry and hurt and was looking for comfort. This, however, was quite unexpected, and he wondered what she had been thinking about to make her lust flare. Alas, sooner than he would have liked, the scent dissipated and was replaced by her normal rain-soaked cherry blossoms.

Sakura finished strapping her kunai pouch to her thigh and hoisted her overnight pack over a shoulder. "There, Kitten, I'm ready, now quit yer whining." She then eyed the cup that had been offered to her. "Is this orange juice? I wonder where they got this."

"Well, apparently, Kankorou's hobbies include gardening, which he has put to use in the extensive garden that he keeps in his home. Temari said that he brought these over this morning as a gift for us before he left on an urgent mission."

"Oh," was all Sakura could come up with in reply. She suddenly pictured Kankorou with his Ninja gear and puppets, only they were wearing gardening hats and gloves over their clothing. She nearly spewed orange juice all over Kiba. He merely laughed.

"I know, it's funny to think of him in a garden. I'll bet he even has hats for his puppets." The two could no longer retain their sniggers and both burst out laughing as they pictured the puppeteer in his garden. Once the giggles subsided, Kiba set his glass on the nightstand. "Come on, Temari will meet us at the gates with her reply to the Hokage, and I'm just ready to get back home."

"Yeah, me too." The two left the room quietly but were soon laughing riotously once again at Kankorou's expense as they went back and forth with thoughts on what type of gardening apparel he would wear.

* * *

"It's about time, I've been here forever," shouted a slightly miffed Temari who stood before the Leaf shinobi with her hands on her hips. Both Kiba and Sakura shrunk back slightly. Temari's temper was no where near on par with Tsunade's or even Sakura on a good day, but she was pretty aggressive when she got going.

"Well, we had to take some time to enjoy Kankorou's wonderful orange juice," Sakura grasped for the first excuse she could manage, which so happened to be the truth. Temari seemed to deflate somewhat. She decided to change the subject.

"So, you two left the visiting shinobi's practice field in complete disarray last night. What happened?" She looked from one to the other expectantly.

"Well, uh," Kiba said sheepishly, "Pink, here had some...frustrations to work off." Sakura shot him an accusatory glance, and he hoped that this would be enough of an answer for the blond.

"Oh...well, I guess meeting her ex's new fiance could do that to a girl. I see you didn't rough him up too badly," she said with a wink to her pink-haired friend. And just as Kiba began spluttering about how he had not had his ass kicked by a girl, she thrust a scroll into his hands. "This is my reply to the Hokage. Please make sure that she gets it in due course."

"Uh...yeah." He tucked the scroll into his pack, then looked to his traveling companions, "Well, shall we?"

Temari hugged her friend. "Be safe, and write more often." With a wave to the blond, Sakura followed the Inuzuka and his canine through the gates. Finally, they were going back home where Sakura was excited to put her thoughts into action and assert the person that she really was. It was time to find the real Sakura, and to let her out to play.


	10. Altering Personalities

**A/N: Hullo, kiddees! I'm so glad that you all enjoyed the crack about Kankorou's hobby. I don't know where that idea came from, but I loved it, too. Anyways, much loves to my long-term reviewers and my new additions. Thanks so much for your support. So, this chapter kind gets things out in the open for Sakura a little, and it also builds up to a little bit of angst and awkwardness in the next chapter. Hope you likes!!**

**Don't own Sakura and Kiba.**

"Man, can it get any hotter?" Sakura whined as she and her companions rested among the trees. They had been traveling in the Fire Country's dense forest for a day now, and the heat had become suffocating. Of course, the land was still gripped by the mid-August heat wave, but the forest's canopy only fueled the heat by adding a layer of humidity. Sweat rolled off of the weary travelers, and Sakura felt absolutely disgusting. "I _so_ need a shower. I think when I get back to my apartment, I'm going to spend a whole day in the bathtub. I don't think I'll ever wash all of the sand out of various...places."

Kiba and Akamaru shared a chuckle at the kunoichi's girlishness. As their trip back home stretched on, the increasing heat and her initial exhaustion had taken a toll. Now, every word out of her mouth was the nasal whine of a little girl. She was so cute. Umm...since when did Kiba think Sakura was cute? Since when did he think anything was cute?

"I'll see if I can track down a spring or something for us to camp near tonight. You just stay here and rest." Sakura just nodded and waved him away with a flick of her hand. She was too tired to be angry about being left behind. At least Akamaru had stayed with her just in case anything happened. Of course, she could take care of herself if the need arose, but she was just too tired to argue that fact. So, she decided that it was time to ask Akamaru a few questions that had been plaguing her.

"So, Akamaru, I've been reading in my medical files about the Inuzuka clan, and I was wondering if I could ask you some questions."

The great white dog eyed her suspiciously. "Don't you think it would be better to ask Kiba questions about his clan?"

"Well, I have some things to ask him, too, but I wanted to know your side as well. You know, since you are the canine-companion to an Inuzuka, that makes you privy to clan activities, but how much are you actually involved in?"

"I'm not really sure if I understand your question," he cocked his head to the side, clearly confused. Sakura sat herself next to the beast and hesitantly reached forward to pet him to which he lowered his head and grunted appreciatively. She found a spot between his ears and rubbed gently.

"Okay, so before I left for this mission, I had read about the Chakra Infusion ceremony, and I get the idea of its purpose, but..." she trailed off thinking of how to word her question. "I know that you and Kiba have taken part in the ritual. And, I can tell by his actions that his sense of smell is way better than it was when we were kids. So, does this mean that he is actively searching for a mate?"

Akamaru opened his eyes in surprise. "Why do you ask, Sakura? Interested?" He very nearly winked at her conspiratorially.

Sakura's face lit up with a blush. "Nothing like that. I was just wondering how he could be looking for a wife when he's away on missions. Isn't he supposed to be searching amongst the ranks of Inuzuka girls? I would think that he wouldn't have time to complete missions."

Akamaru lay thoughtfully for a moment enjoying the magic that Sakura's fingers were working on his scalp.

"I don't know how much of this I should tell you, but I don't think it'll hurt for you to know. You know, for medical reasons, right?" Sakura nodded, curiosity obviously piqued.

"Kiba couldn't find...well, actually, he refused to find an acceptable girl amongst any of the Inuzukas, so the clan's council is allowing him to choose a mate from any of Konoha's kunoichi. He has agreed to continue to complete missions in order to balance out any slight to the family's name in his actions of possibly marrying from outside of the clan. They do not wish anyone to think poorly of their families."

"Why would anyone think poorly of them?"

"Well, how's it look if even the heir of the clan refuses to marry from within the compound. Also, his children may be seen as illegitimate."

"Oh, that's terrible. I can see why they want him to marry a kunoichi. That's a lot of baggage to have to deal with. Clan politics and pack law, right?"

Akamaru nodded at her. "Yes, as wife of the heir, his mate will have to step into the role of Alpha female of the pack."

Sakura sat quietly, petting his head thoughtfully. She blushed at the implications of her next question. "So, does he have any prospects, yet?"

The dog looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Present company excluded...nope."

"What's that supposed to mean," Sakura asked taken aback.

"Oh nothing, just that he likes the way you smell." For reasons quite unclear to herself, Sakura blushed yet again.

About an hour later, Sakura was in the process of wearing a path in the forest floor with her pacing. What Akamaru had just told her, as well as the secretive actions of her mistress and friend, had sparked a small thought in Sakura's brain. And, as small thoughts often do during times of idle waiting, this thought had grown to the point that Sakura was fuming. Tsunade-shishou had to be the one orchestrating this whole scenario; she had been way too concerned with Sakura's most recent relationship troubles. So, it only seemed natural that the Hokage had set her up on a mission with a man who was searching for a wife amongst women like her. And, it was also only natural that Kiba would want to see a prospective match in action on said mission. But, what bothered her the most was that she didn't know who she was pissed at more. Tsunade for setting her up, Kiba for not letting her in on the plan and for not even telling her that he would consider her for that, or herself for actually having started liking the loser.

"Oi, Akamaru," she called out to the dog who had not moved from his resting place. A flick of his ear in her direction told her that he was listening. "So, this little scheme of setting me and Kiba up...Who's idea was it?"

The dog whirled his head toward her, then eyed her for a moment. "Well, I guess it was a matter of time before one of you figured it out."

"So, Kiba didn't know anything about it?" She hardly believed that.

"Actually, all he knew was that his mother and the Hokage had compiled a list of prospects. I didn't even know that this mission was a set up until I saw Temari's reactions to the scroll, and how she kept you two near one another the night of the festival."

"So, Kiba has no idea, and you're not going to tell him?"

The dog shook his head. "Well, if you're not going to tell him, I will," girl spoke resolutely. "It's not fair for him to continue to go on these fake missions just as a way to audition a would-be girlfriend. Not fair to anyone involved." By this point, she was near yelling in her anger, "and you just wait until I see a certain Hokage and give her a piece of my mind."

Akamaru merely lay his head back down and was soon dozing. However, his doze was cut short by an exasperated sigh.

"Where the hell is he? He's been gone for over an hour. Do you think we should go look for him?" But Akamaru did not need to answer because he sensed his friend coming from a short distance.

"Oi, Pink," Kiba called from a ways away. "I found a nice little place to camp about a half hour in that direction," he said pointing toward Konoha, "and there is a nice little cold spring so that you can cool off. What?"

The girl had stopped mid-pace and was staring at him, jaw nearly on the forest floor. Okay, so she had come to terms with herself that, yes she did think the dog-boy was hot, but right now, he was...gorgeous. He had removed his flak jacket in an attempt to keep cool while traveling which allowed Sakura to ogle his beautifully defined arms, which Sakura knew from experience, could be both warm and soft or powerful and hard. His sleeveless mesh shirt gave enough of a show of the lean body that he had honed through years of shinobi training. He had always seemed kind of bulky, but now Sakura understood that that was just because of the heavy coat that he usually wore. Having just run for nearly an hour non-stop, the boy was flushed form exertion and covered in sweat. The light sheen of perspiration on his body made his skin look velvety and smooth, and Sakura wanted nothing more than to touch him at that moment.

He moved slightly toward her as a lopsided grin graced his features, and suddenly Sakura realized what brought on the smile. He could smell her. She was not only covered in her own natural scent from days without the luxury of soap and shampoo, but she was also completely turned on. Why did she have to go and notice him at a time like this? He was surely going to get the wrong idea. It was definitely time for her to take control over the situation.

And, as Kiba was in the process of stalking toward her, she picked her jaw up off the ground and gave him her most defiant glare. He halted mid-step, not sure what she would do. Not saying a word, Sakura grasp the zipper on her uniform vest and pulled it all the way to the top, closing off any sight of her delicate neck. And, as if to get her point across, she flipped her hair forward over her shoulders, then stepped passed her teammate, "It's this way right."

Kiba laughed to himself quietly and shook his head. _That's my girl_, he thought. Upon entering the clearing, he had thought that he may be in for a fight with the pink-haired kunoichi. She was radiating so much anger, and he was pretty sure that he was the cause. He had been gone for quite a while. But, then, when she stopped mid stride and openly stared at him, he couldn't help but to blush at her scrutiny. Suddenly, his senses were bombarded with Sakura's musky scent, and he knew that she was turned on. This, combined with her accelerated heartbeat nearly had him convinced that she would submit to him. Of course, he knew she wasn't ready for that, but he just couldn't help teasing her. Her defiance and display of closing herself off to his advance had been a work of art. Now, he just hoped that she could keep this up once they returned home.

The last thing Sakura needed at this point was for someone like Kakashi or Sasuke to make advances and shatter her new found confidence. Of course it would be glorious if she actually didn't give them the time of day, but he had to be realistic. This was Sakura, and she was still developing her new personality. Kiba just hoped that she could get her act together soon.

The clearing where they made their camp was quite a bit cooler than much of the rest of the forest. The cold spring that flowed through it also brought a slight cool breeze, and the weary travelers were able to enjoy the nice solitude of their campsite. Of course, Sakura refused to talk to, much less look at, Kiba, and she had busied herself at inventorying their supplies just so that she would not feel compelled to fill the void with idle chatter.

_Hey, what's your deal?_ Asked Inner Sakura, obviously bored with the lack of interaction.

_I don't know, it's just weird to be around him._

_Oh, I get it, you're embarrassed because he caught you looking at his hot bod, and now you're too ashamed to deal with it._

_No...okay fine._

_Just go talk to the guy. I'll bet he thinks you're pissed at him._

_Probably not. The stupid jerk is probably silently applauding himself for getting that kind of reaction out of me._

Sakura's inner argument was halted by a heavy hand on her shoulder, which she promptly grasped and applied pressure to.

"What are you trying to do, Pink, break my hand," he yelped pulling the offended hand from her.

Sakura stood, not looking at him. "Never touch me without my permission. I'm tired of people thinking they can take advantage of me." She looked him in the eye at that moment, and fire sparked.

"Hold on a minute, Pink." Kiba put his arms in front of himself in a pleading gesture. "I was just trying to get your attention."

She crossed her arms as the coolness melted away from her features and a look of playfulness crossed her face. "And what does a Kitten need my attention for? "

"Well," he stated awkwardly, "I was just going to offer to keep watch while you take a bath." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Yeah right, you just wanted to try to see me naked, you perv!" And with a slight shove to the dog-boy, she grabbed her towel and ran to the edge of the spring. "And, Kitten, no peeking!"

Kiba sighed from the place where he had seated himself in order to keep watch over the area, "I know, or you'll kick my ass, right."

"You know it."


	11. Hot Summer Days

**A/N: Ready for more loves? Okay, so thanks to all those who enjoy my writing enough to put this story on alert. And hugs to those of you who have taken the time to review. Just a word of warning, this chapter has a bit of a dirty moment, so if nakedness bothers you, you shouldn't read it. Yeah, right, as if you didn't know he was gonna peek!! So, enjoy.**

**Don't own these guys.**

The next morning found a very grumpy Sakura throwing angry glares toward a very sore Kiba as the two packed up their camp. She loaded all of the supplies into their packs as he dispelled any proof that they had spent the night in the clearing. Akamaru watched with a growing smirk as the two danced around one another. Finally Kiba couldn't take it any longer.

"Look, how many times do I have to say I'm sorry?" He tossed his hands above his head, thoroughly agitated. "It really was just an accident. I really didn't mean to look." This last day of their trip home was shaping up to be the longest of his life.

He really hadn't planned on seeing Sakura naked. Honestly. It just so happened that during her bath, he had heard a rustle in the undergrowth a ways away, so he had looked into the noise. It turned out to be a wayward rabbit who had been spooked by their presence, and he had contemplated catching it for their dinner. Thinking that it was way too hot to try to catch the rabbit, he wondered if Sakura was finished with her bath so that he could have a turn. He couldn't wait to get into the cool depths of the spring, but he decided to do a perimeter check before heading back to camp. As luck would have it, he arrived back in the clearing at just the precise moment that Sakura was standing in the spring while reaching for her towel.

What he saw riveted him to his spot. Every curve that she hid so well with her uniform was on full display, and, boy, were all the other guys mistaken about her. Most of the guys his age had considered what the kunoichi in their age group actually looked like without clothing, and most agreed that petite little Sakura was probably flat-chested and narrow-hipped. Great qualities for a kunoichi, but not so great when considering... other activities. And while the pink-haired girl was definitely not well endowed in the chest, her skin was flawless and the pink of her pert little nipples was just a shade darker than her hair. The ivory skin of her toned tummy was nothing short of amazing, and her waist flared into rounded hips that coupled with a small round bottom. Sakura was in great shape because of her training, but she was by no means skinny. She had _curves_, and the heavenly color of the tiny patch of curls that rested between her thighs was just icing on the cake. Sakura just looked so...edible. And Kiba couldn't help but wonder about the old adage that claimed that all things pink tasted sweet.

As he was wondering if she tasted as good as she smelled, Sakura chose that exact moment to look in his direction. The slight smile of contentment that had graced her lips was immediately replaced with a deep frown as she crossed her arms over her body, completely forgetting about, and dropping, the towel in her haste.

"KIBA, YOU ASSHOLE!! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!"

Her shout was followed with a lunge as she forgot about her nudity in an attempt to punish him. She concentrated chakra into her hand, and this time she didn't hold back at all. Kiba was finally shaken out of his revelry as he went flying back-first through a dozen trees before skidding to a halt. He did not come to for an hour, and, even then, Sakura refused to look at his wounds.

Presently, the canine-trainer was attempting to make amends, and failing miserably. The kunoichi would have none of his apologies, and she refused to even look in his direction. She merely ignored him altogether, and only spoke through Akamaru.

"Akamaru, will you please inform Dog-breath over there that we need to be heading out? Now." And with that, she launched herself into the trees at full speed. Dog and boy looked at one another and shrugged. This new Sakura sure could be a bitch, but, God was she beautiful.

She could hear her companions move in formation behind her. They were allowing her to set the pace for the trip because everyone present knew that she could not keep up with their speed in an all-out run. But, they also knew that she was fuming and needed her space, so they just followed her silently with a gentle word or woof every now in then to set them in the right direction.

And, yeah, she was pissed the he had peeked, but she also knew that it wasn't entirely planned on his part. She could tell by the way his eyes had adhered to her body when she turned around. His gaze had not lingered in one spot, it had roved her entire body appreciatively. But it didn't seem like a lecherous ogle, the sort she had received from a certain copy-nin. No, this was genuine admiration. However, the fact that Kiba continued to stare long after it was appropriate was what had caused her anger to flare. Dammit, she didn't really mind that he had looked, but did he have to be so damned obvious?

_Yeah, like you weren't obvious when you mentally stripped him yesterday, _she scolded herself.

_He wasn't naked for God's sake._

_Whatever._

Yeah, whatever, the fact was that she had followed through on her threat to kick his ass, and she was not going to change her mind. And she felt awesome about it, too. She wasn't used to standing up for herself, and liking it. After she had laid Sasuke out on the day he came home, she had felt awful and refused to look at him from that point on. She did everything to avoid him, and if she had to be near him, she would ignore him completely or else her guilt would have forced her to apologize. Right now, though, she didn't feel compelled to say sorry at all. And she loved it.

Little did she know that Kiba was silently enjoying her excitement. Her heartbeat was slightly elevated but steady, which was a sign that she was thrilled about something. Sakura's scent was a mixture of contentment and euphoria. He knew that she was pleased with herself for standing up to him and not faltering. Maybe she could handle herself after all when they got back to Konoha. Their friends were in for a surprise when they came in contact with this new creature that was Sakura.

* * *

Several hours later found the two nearing the village that they called home. As the gates of Konoha got closer, Sakura's step lightened considerably. "I'm still going to take that day-long bath, I think," she said happily.

Kiba was slightly taken off-guard as these were the first words that she had spoken directly to him all day, but he masked the effect. "Hn."

"Well, at least I'll be able to enjoy a bath without interruptions this time," she said matter-of-factly.

The Inuzuka blanched and readied himself for another tirade of curses from his teammate. Funnily, the tirade never came, and when he looked over at the girl he noticed that her face had turned quite a fetching shade of purple. Suddenly, as if about to explode, she snorted out the most obnoxious sounding fit of laughter ever heard.

"Oi, Pink, if I really wanted to peep at you, I would have just climbed in the water with you," he stated coolly, failing to hide his smirk.

The girl stopped laughing abruptly to eyeball the boy for a moment. The two stared at one another briefly before erupting into another fit of giggles. All tension between them dissipated as their laughter slowly subsided.

"Well, anyways, Kitten, I think you've suffered with that busted cheek for long enough." She stepped up to him and rested her palm on his swollen face. Kiba was inundated with a completely new sensation as he felt Sakura's healing chakra enter his body. Sakura took on a whole new aura when she was healing. Her body was complete confidence, and she was gentle and strong all at once. Her scent was that of pure power, and her emotions were all in check. This was the true Sakura, but he doubted that she realized this.

"All done," she said as she pulled her fingers away from his face. He felt a light tingle when they brushed across his cheek stripe, and he wasn't sure that the touch had been completely unintentional. They turned back toward home and set an easy pace.

"So, Sakura, did you know that you are completely different when you're healing?"

"Oh, I've been told that I become a different person sometimes. Some times I've been told that I become a complete bitch to deal with when I'm in medic mode, others, I've been told that I'm kind and gentle. I don't know which is the case, though." She thought for a moment, then went on. "Of course, I think it probably changes with each situation."

"Well, just now, you were kind and gentle, but powerful at the same time. I think that is the part of you that you've been looking for." She looked at him questioningly, and beckoned him to continue. "When you healed my cheek, you focused, made a decision, and followed through. I think if you applied that to your everyday life, you would be much happier."

"Well, maybe..."

"Come on, Sakura, you can't tell me that you did not enjoy making me suffer all day. You followed through with your decision, and you were much happier for it, right?"

The girl shrugged. He was right, and he knew it. Worst of all, _she_ knew it. Since when did Kiba get so profound? He was as emotionally unhinged as Naruto, and here he was helping her sort through her life. Well, not that she minded.

"So...you can keep calling me Pink, if you want," she said softly with her head bowed to hide the blush that was creeping into her cheeks. Luckily her hair covered most of her face. Kiba slowed momentarily, not sure if he had heard her correctly.

"Yeah, well, I _don't _think that you should call me Kitten anymore. What will people think?"

"What, your _boyfriend_ won't like me calling you by _his _nickname, Kitten?" She reached up and yanked the knot on his headband loose. And, just as the dog-trainer caught the offended object before it landed in the grass, she took off through the gates toward the Hokage's office.

"Oi, Pink, you'll pay for that!" He tied the fabric tightly behind his head and raced after the pink-haired kunoichi. Kiba gave relentless chase, but was just not quite fast enough as Sakura halted at the steps that led into the Hokage's office building. He skidded to a halt next to her and both rested a moment to catch their breaths. Then Sakura skirted into the building as she tossed Kiba a glance over her shoulder while sticking her tongue out at him.

"I win," she announced gleefully.

Kiba merely rolled his eyes as Akamaru sniggered from behind him. "Come on, let's get this over with already. Weren't you going on about that bath earlier? And I need some time to figure out how to peep without you knowing."

"You are such a jerk," she said as she shoved him playfully. They were currently walking down the corridor to the Hokage's office.

"Ah, but you still love me," was his reply as he lightly shoulder-checked her before opening the door to greet Shizune.

"Welcome back, you two," said Shizune by way of greeting. Both Sakura and Kiba nodded to the brunette in response.

"Is she in? We have a scroll from Temari of the Sand," stated Sakura as Kiba held up the sand kunoichi's reply to the Hokage's last message. Shizune eyed the letter curiously. This caused a slight shift in the pink-haired woman's demeanor. She didn't like the idea that more than Tsunade and Temari were in on this little plot to meddle into her love life. Sakura's anger flared, and Kiba glanced at her with a question in his eye. Oh, so his senses were that keen now? And she had been a whirlwind of emotions lately. So, this is why he always seemed to know just what to say to her...hmmm.

Shizune nodded to the question and walked over to the Hokage's office door. A moment after her knock, there was the usual grunt to come in, and the assistant let the two shinobi in. As soon as the door swung open, Kiba could smell the booze. Apparently so could Sakura by the way she covered her nose and looked around the room as if searching for some sort of Sake Fairy to throttle for serving her mistress. Sakura's anger spiked once again as she stomped to her shishou's desk and stood with hands on hips glaring at her boss.

"So this is what you do when I'm gone for a few days?" The apprentice shoved an accusatory finger toward the trash can which was full of sake bottles.

"Oh, come off it, Sakura," the Hokage waved the killing glare off and gestured to the piles of paperwork that covered her desk. "As you can see, I have much work to do, so hand over the scroll." She really didn't mean to be so sharp with her student, but the girl's high-pitched shriek had jarred her already aching head into absolute torture. Obviously, Sakura had never suffered from a truly glorious hangover, and the Hokage had just decided that a good punch to the skull might make the girl a little more understanding to her plight. Of course, the last evening spent in complete drunkenness had been all for the sake of politics, and Tsume was surprisingly hilarious once she got a few into her, but Sakura would just never appreciate this part of being as important a person as the Hokage was. When invited out for a drink, she most certainly could not refuse.

The younger kunoichi answered with a huff while crossing her arms over her chest. The fact that the Hokage had just completely blown her off had not been well-received. Kiba took his cue to place the scroll in his boss's outstretched hand. After turning over his possession, the dog-trainer backed away from the desk a step. After a moment of silence, the blond looked at the youngsters from around the stack of papers that separated her from them.

"You may go. Kiba, I expect a full mission report by 8AM tomorrow." Then she suddenly disappeared behind her stack of reports. Kiba and Akamaru turned toward the door and took a few steps before they became aware that their teammate had not moved. She was glaring at the spot where her mistress's head would have been if she could have seen it. He realized that the girl had not finished her conversation with the woman, and that perhaps he should leave her to it.

With a wave, he said, "See ya, Pink, and try not to kill our Hokage, please," but his joke was lost on the girl as she merely tossed him a quick wave without even turning her gaze in his direction. At the obvious sign of being dismissed by both women, Kiba headed to the door. Besides, he was exhausted and needed a shower.


	12. Making Waves

**A/N: Here is another chapter!! Doughnuts to my reviewers and kisses to those who put this on alert. Oh, warning, we may not see Kiba much for a couple of chapters, but he will return soon. Please don't be mad. I'm just focusing on Sakura's path of finding herself, but I promise you won't be disappointed, k? Well, enjoy!!**

**Don't own Naruto or his friends. I would have to say that if I owned Sasuke, I would probably sell him on Ebay.**

Tsunade attempted to go about her business assigning missions while ignoring her fuming apprentice. Finally, realizing that the girl just simply was not going to go away, the Hokage sat back and rubbed her aching temples. Just the simple act of raising her arms sent ripples of pain through her shoulders. Why the hell had she challenged Tsume to that arm-wrestling match, or, for that matter, the twenty more that had followed, which she happened to have been on the losing end of in all cases? The Inuzuka woman had cheated her out of a small fortune. She winced again as another shot of pain lit up her arms. Why the hell hadn't she healed her pulled muscles yet? Oh, yeah hangovers wreaked havoc on her chakra control. She couldn't heal anything at the moment.

Resigning herself to the royal ass-chewing that she was about to receive, Tsunade shifted the papers on her desk into the outgoing mail box on a table behind her. When she turned back around, she steepled her hands under her chin while resting her elbows on the desk and addressed the other woman in the room.

"Listen, Sakura, I am a grown woman, and if I want to spend my evenings drinking with friends..." The blond began before she was sharply cut off.

"So, whose idea was it to set me up with Dog-boy?"

The question hit Tsunade like a slap in the face, and for a moment, all she could do was stare at the girl in front of her with her mouth agape in shock. After realizing fully that this meant that the girl was on to her, she shook herself into some semblance of control. Now, she needed to find out just how much she had figured out.

"Just what are you talking about, dear," the Hokage asked sweetly.

"Oh, cut the crap, Shishou. What gives you and Temari and Shizune and whoever else the right to meddle in my business? And, how much does Kiba know? When I see him the next time, he is so gonna die." The girl positively growled while cracking her knuckles to emphasize the pain that she planned for the Inuzuka.

"Whoa," Tsunade raised her hands defensively, "hold on. Kiba had no idea that the mission was a set up. His mother requested that I, as the Hokage, assist in his family's search for a suitable bride amongst Konoha's kunoichi. I thought that it would be good to pair him up with prospects as a way for him to gauge compatibility. All the kid knew was that his mother was putting together a list for him to meet, but he had no idea that he was already in the process of auditioning possible matches."

"And you did not feel the need to let myself or the other kunoichi know what was happening."

"No, these missions were a way for him to come in contact with the girls so that he could better choose at a later date. There was no need to know because nothing would come of most of these pairings anyways." The elder kunoichi eyed her apprentice. "Why does it bother you so much?"

Pink lightly painted Sakura's cheeks as she glanced down at her hands for a split second. She then thought better of her actions and looked her mistress in the eye. "I just don't appreciate being used like this. I really think that you should inform any other girls who will be involved because they have a right to know that any mission with Kiba could directly impact their futures. Also, I think you should tell Kiba the goal of these missions."

The Hokage shook her head at this, "no can do, Sakura. Even though these missions have underlying goals, they are all still _missions _and need to be treated as thus. We cannot afford for any parties involved to be distracted with the implications of any interactions between teammates." She paused, then added, "and I am not getting in the middle of a battle royale between the two highest ranking Inuzukas over clan politics."

"Fine, but don't expect me to help you sort this out when it fails miserably." At this, she stalked toward the door. As she placed her hand on the knob to leave, Sakura looked back at her boss. "And I'll need to change my schedule around slightly in the mornings." The blond arched a brow in question to what could possibly make Sakura change her schedule so abruptly. "I'm going to start training in the mornings again as soon as I find a partner. Oh, and in answer to your question, if I wanted to get an Aburame to allow me to heal him, I would offer a taste of my chakra to his insects as a way to express my benevolent intentions." Before Tsunade could question her further about her findings or about why she felt the need to start training again, she pulled the door open and swept out into the greeting room. With a slight wave to Shizune she turned out into the hall and left without a glance back.

Shizune entered her boss's office and looked at the woman with a confused expression. Tsunade chuckled at her assistant's look. "It seems that a few days with a highly dominant, instinct-driven male shinobi with canine traits has brought out Sakura's inner bitch."

The dark-haired assistant tilted her head to the side, now even more thoroughly confused. Tsunade heaved an exasperated sigh. "It's time to move ahead in our little scheme." Recognition glinted in Shizune's dark eyes, and the resulting grin matched that of the Hokage's.

"So, I guess you'll be meeting with Tsume again, then." After receiving a nod in affirmation, Shizune turned to leave the blond's office in order to set up her meeting with the Inuzuka mistress.

Tsunade turned back to her files but was reluctant to return to work. Even at her age, these new developments with her apprentice were absolutely exciting. In just a matter of days, the girl had tapped into her self confidence, and it was all thanks to Kiba. The girl had just shown her a defiance that she would never have been able to muster in the past. She had been loyal and protective of her friends' feelings, and had voiced her derision toward the culprits. It did slightly miff the Hokage that her apprentice had had the gall to challenge her, but she was more proud of her than anything. Now, she just hoped that the girl could keep this up. Her new found confidence was sure to attract attention, and Tsunade just could not wait to see the reactions of those closest to her.

* * *

A little while later Sakura walked idly onto the practice field that team Kakashi used whenever they were not on missions. It seemed that the team had just finished their daily training, considering that Sai was lounging lazily against a tree trunk watching as Naruto and Sasuke argued heavily over who had won the day's match. Sakura made her way over to the stoic male who seemed completely out of touch with his surroundings.

Sakura had always admired Sai deep down. Though, on the outside, the boy resembled Sasuke in both looks and demeanor, he was actually nothing at all like the Uchiha. Whereas Sasuke strove to _appear_ cool and unfeeling, Sakura had seen him loose it several times in battle. The fact that there were times that he had not been able to keep his emotions in check had enraged the sharingan-user, and, even now, he strove to at least come across as uncaring. Sai, on the other hand, genuinely could not feel emotion, but he wished to do otherwise. He constantly read about how one should act in certain situations, and Sakura could not help but be thankful for the smiles he sent her way. Even if they were forced.

She liked the fact that he tried to be her friend, even if he didn't really know how to act. And his honesty was gladly appreciated. Sai had been a great help in her remaining days on their team. When the others would let her make mistakes without much said, Sai would confront her about them. He had been harsh and critical, but he had also been honest. And that was why she had come to talk to him this particular evening.

The boy looked over at her with his usual cheeky smile and waved. She walked toward him, intent on asking her question before the other boys finished their argument and could interrupt.

"Hey, Ugly, what are you doing on this fine evening," the artist-nin stood in greeting of his former comrade. Sakura's eye visibly twitched at his version of an endearment.

"Oh, nothing, I just had a question to ask you." Just then Sakura felt a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite little pink-haired nurse," came Sasuke's voice in his version of a joke. He had never lost his mocking tone when addressing the girl, which was another reason why she tried not to speak to him. He still did not take her seriously. Well, guess it was time to show him what happened when she was not taken seriously.

Sasuke suddenly found himself being hip-tossed over Sakura's shoulder and landing on his back between she and Sai. Sakura stomped her foot down on his chest.

"Don't ever touch me without permission again," she growled. Naruto 'eeped' from behind her as he halted mid-run, his plan to engulf her in one of his bone-crushing hugs completely forgotten. Sai merely watched with his same smile.

"So, Sakura, did you want to talk to me about something?"

"Yes, I was wondering if you would have time to train with me in the mornings. I've realized that I am not getting enough action spending so much time in the hospital, so I need to get back into shape. Plus, since I'm doing missions again, I need to make sure that my body can handle the strain." She said without releasing the Uchiha. Sasuke struggled a bit during her words, but a little more pressure to his chest quieted him. Obviously she was going to make a display of overpowering him. Naruto could only stand open-mouthed as the scenario unfolded.

Sai thought for a moment scratching his chin. "Well, it seems that Kakashi-senpai is on a mission for an undisclosed amount of time, and training with these two is a bit uneven since they seem to focus more on trying to beat one another than practicing as a team." At this, Sakura only nodded; she knew this all-too-well from her younger days with the team. She was constantly forced to spar with Kakashi, and that would only last a few seconds before he would completely embarrass her. She would normally spend most of their training sessions sitting beneath the tree with Kakashi watching the others as he read his smut books.

"So, I'll meet you here tomorrow at six in the morning?" She asked, hopefully.

"Okay, Ugly," he smiled at her again. "Oh, and you should probably let Sasuke up before Dickless over there wets himself." Sakura followed Sai's line of sight to where Naruto was standing looking rather ashen. He kept glancing from Sakura to Sasuke as if he didn't believe what had just happened.

Sakura released Sasuke with a wink to Sai and bounded toward the shocked Naruto. She wrapped him in her version of his bone-crushing hug. "Don't worry Naruto, you can still hug me whenever you want, okay."

"S-sakura-chan, I c-can't b-breathe," the boy stuttered as his face turned a splendid shade of blue.

After releasing Naruto, waving good-bye to Sai, and sticking her tongue out at Sasuke, Sakura headed home for a shower and some much needed rest.

Sasuke rubbed his offended chest, "what the hell was her problem?"

"Quit your whining, Teme, someone may hear," laughed Naruto while patting his friend on the back.

"It would seem that our Sakura has finally gotten over you, Girly-boy," stated Sai ignoring the glare coming from the Uchiha. "I think I prefer this new Sakura much more than the old. She's not quite so...ugly anymore."

"So, since I won the match today, you're paying for the ramen, right, Teme," questioned Naruto losing concentration on anything that wasn't his complaining stomach.

"You did not win, dobe. How could you beat me when I'm better than you at everything," came Sasuke's reply as the three teammates headed away from the practice field. It was the same argument everyday. They would fight over who had won the day's match and who would pay for dinner until Sai, himself, would have to remind them that he had, in fact won, and that they owed him dinner. He would then buy the meal for all three, and only then would the conversation shift...usually to Naruto's new girl, Hinata, or how lazy Kakashi was as a team leader. The artist wondered deep down if this was just an elaborate way for the two to actually never have to buy their own suppers, but he knew that neither could think in that capacity.

He heaved a deep sigh and readied himself for another evening of listening to these two bicker, but at least now he could look forward to his training with Sakura everyday. The other two boys were so engrossed in their rivalry that they did not notice the genuine smile that graced the lips of the normally uncaring Sai as he remembered how happy Sakura had been with herself at taking the Great Sasuke down. He couldn't wait to see if that confidence had affected her fighting abilities.


	13. Entertaining Bugs

**A/N: I was really bored tonight, so here's an extra special treat. Another chapter. Sakura finally comes to terms with herself!! Excitement! Thanks a bunch to my reviewers. Think of this as a gift to you.**

**Don't own these guys. Still would sell Sasuke if I did.**

"That sure was a tiring work-out," Sakura yawned while stretching widely.

"Shouldn't you have taken it a little easier, since you aren't used to sparring anymore?" Naruto glanced at his companion who had lagged behind while stretching her sore muscles.

Sakura had to admit that he was probably right. Her body was going to hate her all day which really sucked since it was only a little after eight in the morning. She and Sai had decided that this initial sparring match would be one of gauging one another's abilities. It quickly, however, turned into Sai hiding in the trees sending inked lions flying at her in an attempt to wear her down. But, she had finally created enough shadow clones to get to him and landed a punch that sent him flying across the practice field. She had managed to knock his paintbrush and scroll from his hand, and they had finished their match hand-to-hand.

The girl had forgotten just how formidable the artist truly was, and he was relentless with his attacks. Of course, he smiled his fake smile at her throughout, which both unnerved her and pissed her off. In the end, much to be expected, Sakura had lost her temper and one of her attacks had gone wild leaving her wide open to him. If he had been an enemy, he would have been able to land a killing blow without her so much as knowing.

After Sakura had gotten her ass royally handed to her, the two friends had sat down to discuss their match. Sai, as expected, was ruthless in his appraisal of her lack of skill. And she ended up feeling completely useless, yet again. Then, he floored her by complimenting her success in furthering her chakra control. He also didn't call her ugly once during their whole interaction; he had called her by her name, which completely confused her. Ever since they had met, Sai had insisted that she was ugly and had nicknamed her accordingly. And, after they had become friends, he had continued to call her that out of familiarity and endearment. Why the heck had he changed the way he spoke to her?

Just as she had been about to ask Sai what was going on, she noticed Naruto meandering by. He looked like he was headed somewhere, but in no particular hurry to get there. After confirming with the dark-haired artist that they would meet again the next morning, Sakura had run to catch up with the one blond male in her life. She really needed to sit down and figure out how it was that so many of her friends were meddling blonds; even Naruto had his meddlesome days. But, that could wait, she had something to ask Naruto.

As Sakura skipped toward the oblivious fox-boy, Sai watched her with confusion-laced features. She had performed rather terribly in their sparring match today. Of course, that had more to do with her being a close-range fighter trying to counter long-range attacks than it actually had to do with her lack of skill. But, instead of taking his insults to her abilities to heart and pouting like she would have done not so long ago, the pink-haired kunoichi had actually listened intently to his criticism. She was exuding so much strength right now, that he found himself wondering what she was actually capable of, if truly tested. He had even found himself unable to call her ugly any longer. She was suddenly no longer the gangly young woman with the extremely huge forehead playing ninja. She was a kunoichi and deserved to be treated with respect.

After reflecting on his new findings for a moment longer, Sai decided it was time to return home. He needed to read a bit on how to act toward someone that commanded respect and loyalty because he just _knew _that the small changes that he had noticed in the girl today, would only continue to grow until the entire village realized what she had become. He was just glad that he was one of the first to notice so that he could see how others would react.

"So, Sakura-chan, why did you want to come with me to see Hinata-chan?" The blond boy asked his long-time friend. Sakura had been acting weird ever since she got back from her mission the previous day, and he still wasn't sure what to think. When she had run up to him this morning and hugged him, Naruto nearly fell over. She never had been one to be so affectionate toward him, and, especially after that display with Sasuke last evening, he was scared to death to touch her. Of course she had said that he could still hug her, but the fox-boy had not been very reassured.

"Actually, I've been reading about the medical history of the Aburame clan, and I have something that I want to talk to Shino about," came Sakura's reply as she readjusted her Leaf shinobi headband. The girl had taken to tying it straight across her forehead instead of on top of her head holding her bangs out of her face. She had also pulled her long pink tresses into a loose bun held in place with a senbon. Naruto eyed the thin pale yellow scarf that she currently had tied around her throat.

"So, what's with the scarf," he asked pointing to the scrap of material that was wrapped around her delicate neck.

Sakura shrugged not wanting to tell him the true reason. She had taken to heart what Kiba had said about exposing herself to the world. She wanted to come across as strong and independent, so she had foregone showing her most vulnerable area. But, this damnable mid-summer heat had gotten to her, and, before her training with Sai, she had grabbed a scarf to cover her throat. This allowed her to freely tie up her hair without exposing the tender flesh. Also, if a certain dog-boy just happened to be around, it would show him that she hadn't forgotten his threat.

_Yeah, like you would really mind_, scoffed a thoroughly disgruntled inner Sakura.

_What's your problem?_

_Nothing, just that we spent a week with the sole attention a really hot teammate, and now we're back to hanging out with Naruto...again_, replied inner Sakura.

_I know, but we have other things to worry about. Don't you feel stronger after our sparring match?"_

_Wait, wasn't I the one warning you about falling for Kiba, and now you've got more important things to do? _Asked the inner incredulously.

_Oh, I still want to find out about those cheek stripes, but I have some things to work out first._

_Whatever..._Inner Sakura rolled her eyes.

Sakura was really struggling with sorting her feelings out. She had really taken a liking to the dog-trainer while they were away from Konoha, but she didn't know how much. She also didn't know if she had the courage to pursue anything at this point anyway. There was just so much that she still had to learn about her new self before she could even think about dating again. But, the dirty thoughts that her inner was throwing her way dealing with certain rumors about Inuzuka boys and their tongues did make her heart skip a little.

The pink-haired kunoichi schooled her thoughts as they entered Team Kurenai's practice area to find Shino and Hinata finishing their match. The two were thoroughly winded and covered in sweat. Sakura and Naruto waited under a nearby tree as the two discussed the fact that they would not be able to practice the next day as they would be leaving on a mission that evening. When they turned to leave, they noticed their visitors.

"So, Hinata-chan, you have a mission," questioned the blond shinobi. The meek kunoichi nodded. She moved in to discuss this with her boyfriend, and Sakura took this opportunity to approach the Aburame heir.

"Hello, Sakura," he tilted his head to the side wondering at her new appearance. Sakura faltered slightly at the scrutiny. She had not realized how much a few tiny changes to her look would actually affect those who she saw nearly every day. She decided to move toward her goal quickly and bowed to the man before her. At this, Naruto and Hinata stopped their conversation to follow what was going on between the others. Shino seemed just as confused as the others.

"Aburame-san," Sakura began, reining in her confidence, "I would like to offer a taste of my chakra to your insect companions so that, if the need arise in the future, I may properly treat you in a medical capacity." Naruto's jaw very nearly hit the forest floor not really knowing what was going on. Hinata, however, had sensed a stir in Sakura's chakra and engaged her Byakugan. What she saw, was as close to a miracle as she thought she would ever see.

Sakura flared her chakra around her body, and through the Byakugan, Hinata saw her friend as she was surrounded by a halo of green energy. Then, as Sakura converted the energy into healing power, it flared even brighter green and stirred the air around her. All Naruto could see was that Sakura seemed to be concentrating very hard and her hair and clothing were stirring as if caught in a breeze. He couldn't see her chakra, but he sure could feel it. Normally, a chakra burst that powerful would set his own chakra on edge, but hers was the soothing power of a healer.

Suddenly, several of Shino's insects landed on Sakura's chakra field in various places. They rested there for a moment, and Hinata told Naruto very quietly that the bugs were actually feeding on Sakura's chakra. Naruto pulled a disgusted expression and let out an "ewwww" before his girlfriend could quietly shush him. The other two shinobi did not notice and continued with their interaction. Finally, Sakura allowed her chakra to reenter her body, and she stood looking at Shino. Her gaze did not falter as she awaited his response.

"My friends are convinced of your intentions, and from now on when we are injured, we will seek you out," he spoke after staring back at the girl for a short time. The two continued to watch one another until Naruto broke the silence.

"Oi, what the hell just happened here? Sakura's chakra levels spiked higher than ever," the boy shouted bounding over to his friends. He looked from one to the other. Then he leaned toward Sakura and whispered conspiratorially to her, "Did you know that some of his bugs just ate your chakra?"

"Yes, she's fully aware that my insects fed on her chakra," Shino said with a sigh. "She did offer it willingly."

Sakura giggled at Naruto's confusion. "I've got to get home and rest after my busy day. I have a shift at the hospital tomorrow, so I'll let these two explain what just happened, k?"

Naruto spluttered as she began to walk away. Then she paused and turned to the other kunoichi, "Hinata, when you see Kiba, will you tell him I said hi?"

"Well, he's already been sent out on another mission, and Shino and I have our own mission tonight. I don't know when I'll see him next time, but I'll tell him." Hinata answered with a shy wave.

Sakura's smile drooped a bit, but she recovered quickly. And, with another wave, she was on her way home.

"What the heck was that about?" mused Naruto.

Hinata shrugged as she hid a small smile. She had an idea but wouldn't share until she knew for sure.

* * *

As Sakura soaked in her bathtub, she finally allowed her thoughts to dwell on a certain dark-haired shinobi with red cheek stripes. She had been slightly agitated when Hinata had told her that he was away on a mission, and it had taken her a while to realize why. This was probably another one of those stupid matchmaking missions set up by the Hokage and Inuzuka Tsume. She really did need to tell him what those two were up to. But, she wondered how he would react. Of course, he had to meet these girls, but he surely would want it to be under his own terms, right? Not on bogus missions set up by her stupid shishou.

The pink-haired girl grabbed her bath soap and began sudsing her body haphazardly, not really paying attention to what she was doing. She was too caught up in her own angry thoughts. Of course, she didn't really know why she was so angry that the boy's mother had enlisted the Hokage's help in forcing him to fulfill his clan obligations. Tsunade had been right when she said this revolved around clan politics, and that telling him would pull her right into the middle of the conflict.

_Wooh, girl, you've got it bad, _Inner Sakura came barging onto the scene.

_Now, what are you going on about?_

_I'll admit, you had me fooled for all of a minute, but you can't fool me anymore, _Inner Sakura glared at her accusingly.

_What the hell are you on about?_

_Just that you're totally in love with Dog-boy, and the reason why you don't want him to go on these missions is that you're jealous._

_No, I just don't think it's right for them to get involved like they have, _Sakura tried to reason with herself.

_Oh, give me a break. You can't lie to me. I'm you, remember? _Inner Sakura rubbed her temples.

_Don't really know what you're going on about..._

_Come off it, girl. I know you don't want to get hurt again, but don't you think it's time to get back on the horse, I mean dog._

_Wait, weren't you the one who told me to watch myself?_

_Just think about what he's done for us._

The cherry blossom suddenly realized that her bath water had become tepid, and she quickly rinsed her body before reaching for her towel. The act of drying off reminded her of the day that Kiba had caught sight of her at the spring. Her body warmed with an all-over blush as she realized that she had enjoyed the approving look that he had given her. It had not been the lustful look of someone looking for a romp in the sack, he had _looked_ at her like she was something to be proud of. Would he look at her that way again? Did she want him to?

After dressing herself in the usual tank top and shorts that she slept in on hot summer nights, Sakura went to the kitchen to find dinner. Once her cup of instant ramen was ready, she seated herself on her couch as she prepared to finish off her evening with a movie. All of the activity of the day had worn her out, and she knew that tomorrow would only be worse. So she had decided to make it an early night by relaxing then going to bed at an appropriate hour.

Two hours later, Sakura found herself staring blankly at the ending credits of a movie that she remembered nothing about. Her thoughts had been too engrossed in the musings that her inner self had brought on. Had she really fallen for Kiba? The entire time that the movie had played, she had thought about things that he had done for and said to her, and she had thoroughly confused herself. The boy was an undeniable flirt which she liked, but she found herself wondering if he was currently flirting with his new teammate in the same manner. The pink-haired woman had decided that in the morning she would snoop around and see who he had been teamed up with for his most recent mission.

This revelation stunned Sakura. She was jealous toward an unknown woman over Kiba? Did this mean that she wanted to pursue something with him? And, how would she know how he felt about her? And, if he did like her back, what about his obligation to get married? She most certainly wasn't ready for that, right? Maybe, it was time to find the boy in question and talk to him. See if she could at least get some closure to her meandering thoughts so that she could at least function. With her mind made up, the second-best med-nin in Konoha headed to her bedroom to attempt to get some sleep.


	14. Reunited?

**A/N: Oi, Mondays suck!! So, on with the next chapter. I hope you guys don't mind Sakura suddenly remembering that she's a girl and acting accordingly. Anyways, love to my readers and reviewers!!**

**Still don't own them.**

"Now remember, Mina-chan," Sakura smiled sweetly at the little girl who sat on the examination table, "the only way that your arm will heal correctly is if you are careful." She paused briefly fishing in the pocket of her medical jacket. "If you promise to stop jumping from rooftop to rooftop long enough for your arm to get better, I'll give you this." She offered her new favorite patient a sucker.

The little girl looked from Sakura to the sucker skeptically. "But, if I can't go on the roofs, how can I go on my ninja missions?" The youth pulled a pout to rival one of the pink-haired medic's own. And, this was why she had realized that she actually liked the youngster. Only playing ninja and she took it so seriously. Perhaps, she was a top grade kunoichi in the making. Sakura had decided that, since there were not nearly enough high level female shinobi in Konoha, she needed to encourage the future generation as much as possible.

"I'll tell you what, not all shinobi travel on roofs or in trees to get somewhere," she leaned into the girl's ear to whisper with a wink to her father. "Some of them use disguise techniques. Perhaps you could use this time to practice that." Mina's face lit up at the idea just as her father blanched at the prospect of what this could lead to.

"Thanks, Sakura-san," she lunged forward to wrap herself around the woman's neck. Sakura laughed lightly as she disentangled the future-kunoichi and handed her to her father.

"I must say, Haruno-san, your bedside manner has improved much."

Sakura shrugged. "I guess it was just time for me to grow up," was her response as she walked out of the room, leaving the thoroughly perplexed man scratching his head in her wake.

Though cryptic, her response had been honest. Sakura had, in effect, grown up a lot since her return to Konoha. She still didn't understand how that short trip to Suna had changed her, but she couldn't complain about the outcome. Sparring each morning, since her return three days ago, was quickly honing what skills had previously fallen to the wayside, and her confidence in her skills had projected themselves in her work at the hospital. She felt _happy_ for the first time ever.

Of course, she really didn't want to admit why this change had occurred. Yes, she could admit that she had feelings for Kiba, but she really didn't want to give him the credit for pushing her into this life-altering change. Sakura knew that he was the cause, but, dammit, she really couldn't come to terms with how much of a loser she had been before that fateful mission.

In retrospect, she saw that she had been living a life of self-loathing. She had felt sorry for herself because of her mistakes, and she had tried to hide from the world by drowning herself in her work. But, now she knew how lonely she actually was, and what she had been missing out on. So, Sakura had rallied thoughts and emotions and was working toward pulling herself together.

First, she would stay on the mission roster and regain her place as an active kunoichi. Second, she would pull the stick out of her ass and treat her patients, both civilian and shinobi, with grace and respect. She was a healer, and she needed to have a soothing personality just as much as she needed a soothing touch. Third, she would make everyone who hurt her pay, somehow. She had already started on Sasuke. Once, by overpowering him at the practice field, and another time by getting Naruto to join her in thinking up new nicknames for him. These nicknames had ranged from the likes of Sissy-boy to (Sakura's personal fave) Sas-gay. Naruto was having harmless fun, and Sakura had led all others to believe that she felt the same way. But, Sasuke certainly didn't take it very well and ended up storming out of the ramen shop before he could finish his meal. Of course, Naruto had been completely oblivious to what had just happened and was more than happy to finish off the other boy's unfinished bowl of noodles.

And, to finish off her list, Sakura would finally confront Kiba about how she felt...no, wait, she was going to tell him about his mother's conniving with the Hokage. Well, that was what she told herself was her reasoning for wanting to speak with him, anyways. Much to her chagrin, he had not returned from his mission, yet.

True to her word to herself, the med-nin had snooped in her boss's office and found out that the dog-trainer was on a mission with Tenten. It was some sort of recovery mission, but she had not seen where to. All Sakura had looked at was the fact that his teammate was a very pretty brunette kunoichi. Tenten had so much that Sakura lacked. She was known as the Weapon's Mistress because she could completely control any weapon placed in her hand. Also, having been on a team with Rock Lee and having Might Guy as a sensei, had put the girl on par with both at taijutsu. She was deadly at both close and far-range fighting. Sakura just knew that she would not be able to compete with this girl.

The fact that she was feeling down about having Tenten as competition had begun to irk Sakura to an extreme level. Here she was again, pitying herself over a guy. This really needed to stop, and the only way to do so was to let the cat, er dog, out of the bag. She needed to get this off of her chest, then maybe she could move on with her life.

_Ummm, didn't you come up with this same conclusion the other night in the bath? _asked Inner Sakura.

_Yeah, but I'm serious now. I have to find out what's going on between us so that I can decide what to do next._

_Yeah, like finally finding out if Dog-boy has clan markings anywhere else on his body. Cha!! _Inner Sakura pumped her fist into the air.

Sakura rolled her eyes at herself. She leaned against the wall outside of the next examination room trying to keep from laughing out loud at herself. This was going to be a long day at the hospital, and she needed to keep her composure. After a moment of silent contemplation, the girl opened her eyes and looked at the name on the chart of her next patient. Inuzuka Kiba.

Her heart leapt into her throat. She didn't even look at the chart for a reason as to why he would be there before charging into the room. She had expected the worst; that she would walk into the room to see him covered in blood and dying. She did not expect to see him sitting on the examination table with a sheepish grin. Dumbstruck over the lack of a life threatening injury, Sakura finally looked at the chart that she had been crushing in her hand. Exposure to chicken pox?

"Ummm...it says here that you came in because you were possibly exposed to chicken pox?"

"Yeah, the idiot who hired us actually wanted us to find his kid's stupid lost kitten. I returned the animal to the kid before I was informed that she had chicken pox. And, since I've never had it, Tenten thought I should probably stop by here to get an antibiotic." He reached down to pat Akamaru absently. Kiba was so embarrassed to be explaining this to his crush. Yes, while on his most recent mission, he had finally come to the conclusion that he had it bad for his pink-haired friend.

Tenten had been an easy-going teammate, but she just seemed so closed-off. More than Sakura had ever been. She reeked of her recent breakup, but would not discuss the matter. Of course, that relationship had been destined to fail because civilians just could not understand shinobi life. Male civilians also had issues with dating women who could easily overpower and kill them, too. So, their mission had been limited to very light small-talk which had given the Inuzuka a lot of time to think about a certain pink-haired beauty.

He had only been away from her for a couple of days before he realized that he missed her scent. His senses were on edge again, and Tenten's scent was nowhere near as soothing as Sakura's. While the brunette had a distinctly feminine fragrance, she also smelled rather metallic, which grated on Kiba's delicate nose. He missed the clean smell of rain-soaked cherry blossoms, and he had begun to lose his grip on his instincts. He had even gone so far as to pick a fight with Akamaru just to vent some of his frustrations.

That had been why he was glad that the kid had exposed him to chicken pox. He wasn't really at risk of contracting the illness, since he had had it as a child, but this had given him his opportunity to see the pink-haired woman again.

He had smelled her once she arrived outside the door, and had grown impatient at her pause before entering. He didn't know which was worse, his anticipation of seeing her again, or his fear that she had paused because she didn't want to be near him. But, when she had burst into the room covered in fear and shock, he knew that she had missed him as well. He also had not missed the light twinge of jealousy that had come from her at the mention of his teammate's name. Sakura felt possessive over him? That was new.

The two sat together in the examination room for a long while chatting about little things before Sakura realized that she needed to be moving on to her next patient. So, it was time to examine the boy to see if he was truly in need of medical attention. She placed her hand upon his brow as if feeling for a fever and closed her eyes. Kiba closed his eyes as he felt the warm shock of her chakra trickle throughout his body from the point where her palm rested on his skin. The sensation only lasted a moment before her hand was removed. Kiba reluctantly opened his eyes to see Sakura looking at him curiously, trying not to smile widely.

"You've already had chicken pox, dummy," she openly smirked at his abashed look. He was caught, and there was no way to deny that he had only come to see her.

"Well...I guess I forgot," came his mumbled reply as he stood to leave the room before she could see his blush.

Sakura gripped his wrist effectively stopping his retreat. "Hey, I was wondering, if I could ask a favor from you."

"Sure, what's up," he turned back to her, blush forgotten at her change in mood. His eyes skimmed her face, then lighted upon her hair which was pulled up in a loose bun. This caused him, being the hypersensitive male that he was, to look down at her throat. He smiled crookedly at the light yellow scarf which obscured the delectable flesh of her neck. He glanced back to her face and was about to comment about her new accessory, but decided otherwise at the serious gleam in her eyes.

"I've been reading about the Inuzuka clan in my medical reports," she paused long enough to nibble her bottom lip for a split second. "There are some things that I'm confused about, and I was wondering if you could help me."

"Okay, just let me know when." He turned to leave once again.

"How about you stop by my apartment tonight?"

Kiba stopped mid-step, not really sure if he had just heard her invite him to her place.

"I'll buy dinner...steak?" That was the magic word. The dog-boy began to salivate almost immediately.

"Oi, Pink, this isn't some elaborate scheme to lure me in just to have your way with me, is it?" It was Sakura's turn to blush at his innuendo.

"No, I'm just trying to bribe you into giving away clan secrets."

"Alright, I'll stop by tonight at about eight, and don't forget the steaks," he said as he headed toward the door and finally made his exit.

"Whew, I can't believe that he agreed to come over. This is so awesome!" Sakura clapped her hands girlishly.

On the other side of the door, Kiba chuckled to himself. Apparently she hadn't realized that he would still be able to hear her, and now he really was on to her little scheme.

* * *

Several minutes later, Kiba was leaving the Hokage's office when he ran into Naruto. He was not in much of a mood to deal with the fox-boy's antics since the currently most powerful ninja in Konoha had just outright laughed at him over the result of his last mission. She had dismissed him, while still giggling girlishly, with orders to turn his mission report in the next morning. And to not leave anything out. He knew this was just another way for her to laugh at him, but it really wasn't too much of a problem. At least he had gotten to see Sakura again.

"Oi, Kiba," the young future-Hokage called out to him, "did the old lady tell you that Hinata and Shino are away on a mission?"

Kiba nodded as he fell into step next to his friend. Kiba had always considered Naruto to be his friend, and it was true. As annoying as the other boy could be, he was a great person to be acquainted with. Though he was perpetually silly and could be considered a terrible ninja, he was loyal to a fault. And being an Inuzuka, Kiba understood this all to well. Also, Naruto could pull his shit together when it came down to it, and he had been the deciding factor in numerous fights.

The two ambled along for a few minutes just chatting when they happened upon a father and daughter out for a nice stroll. Kiba could smell Sakura on the little girl and knew that she must have been at the hospital that day.

"Daddy, can I be like Sakura-san when I grow up?" The two boys paused in their meanderings to eavesdrop at the mention of their mutual friend.

"Uhh...why do you want to be like her?" asked the father with a slight hint of distaste. Kiba tensed at the idea that the man would think anything poorly of his girl. Oh, great, now he thought of her as his girl. This was getting out of hand. He glanced at Naruto who looked like he was about to pounce on the guy for bad mouthing one of his best friends. Well, at least he wasn't the only one who felt protective of the pink-haired lady.

"Well..." the little girl sucked on her lollipop thoughtfully, "she used to be so mean, but she gave me a sucker, and she's a kunoichi. I want to be like her." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Well, I guess if you're going to look up to someone, the Hokage's apprentice isn't such a bad idea." Both boys visibly relaxed. "Just don't develop her temper, okay, sweetie?"

"Okay, daddy," the little girl replied as she skipped ahead of her father along the sidewalk.

Kiba thought aloud, "Since when do little girls want to be like Sakura when they grow up?"

"No, man, Sakura's a completely different person lately. You really don't understand." At Kiba's questioning look, Naruto proceeded to explain the occurrences of the past few days. He told him about Sakura pinning Sasuke to the ground, asking Sai to spar, and about her little incident with Shino. Kiba couldn't help the swell of pride that he felt when listening to his crush's antics.

"What do you think has gotten into her?" asked Naruto.

"Eh, maybe she decided to grow up," was Kiba's reply.


	15. Beginnings

**A/A: Okay, so this is not where I had originally intended this chapter to go, but it just felt right. Please don't kill me for my teasing nature. Fluffyness alert!! Oh, and loves again to my reviewers.**

**Don't own the lovers, but I do own the situation that they have found themselves in.**

"Why the hell am I so nervous," Sakura said to herself as she readjusted the throw pillows on her couch for the three hundredth time.

_Because the man of our dreams is coming over to our home_, drolled her Inner self.

_He is not the man of my dreams, and, besides, Kiba is just coming over to help me learn more about his clan. You know, for medical purposes." _Sakura explained to herself while shuffling through the stack of files that currently resided on her coffee table.

_Do you seriously believe your own lies?_

The pink-haired woman glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was a few minutes to eight. He would be here any moment, and suddenly her stomach was full of very active butterflies. Cursing herself for being so silly, Sakura sat on the couch and picked up one of her reports. This one discussed in detail the connection that Inuzukas had with their canine companions. This particular file had caught her attention once before, but she had not had the chance to do more than skim through its pages. She could not wait to actually absorb the material that in encompassed.

Apparently the pup was the one who chose its companion. When an Inuzuka child came to the age to be paired with his life-long comrade, he would travel to the clan's kennels in order to introduce himself to the dogs. This was when the puppy would decide if the child was his master or not. The child would extend his hand to the pup, and the pup would sniff the proffered hand to decide if he trusted the child or not. The pup would then nip the child on his finger infusing a small amount of chakra. If the two had compatible chakras, they would begin their training as a shinobi team. The idea that the Inuzukas shared their chakra with their canine familiars in several instances intrigued Sakura, and she made a mental note to ask Kiba about these instances.

Suddenly, the girl was shaken from her thoughts as there was a light pounding on her apartment door. Realizing that she had been completely absorbed for several minutes, she jumped up, scattering her papers all over the floor.

"Shit," she cried out, scrambling to pick up the wayward reports.

"Uhh...Pink, is everything alright? I've been knocking for awhile," came Kiba's muffled voice. He sounded slightly distraught.

"Sorry, come on in. The door's open." She called as she continued to pick up the pages. The file was completely disorganized now, and it would take her longer to sort through it than it would take for her to read the pages. She sighed inwardly at this dilemma.

"Doing some light reading, I see." Kiba's voice drifted from behind her as she scooped up the last bits of paper and placed them haphazardly on the table. He had wanted her to take her time gathering her mess so that he could enjoy the sight of her small round bottom that was covered so nicely by her low slung pair of hiphuggers. When she turned to face him, he very nearly started drooling right there at the sight of how well the jeans actually 'hugged' her hips. They were tight, but not appallingly so, and they left just enough to the imagination, considering that the girl had covered her top half with a sensible loose fitting t-shirt. After ogling her for only a split second, he scanned upward toward her face.

That's when he noticed the now customary yellow scarf, and he just couldn't help cocking a brow in question.

"What," the girl asked looking around her to see if she had left a page on the floor. Seeing nothing out of place, her hands immediately began smoothing her clothes, then her hair.

"So, what's the deal with the scarf," came his question, and the blush that crept from her cheeks down her throat contrasted splendidly with the bright yellow of the scrap of material. The girl nibbled her lip for a moment, obviously scheming a good excuse. She finally looked him fully in the eye with a mischievous twinge in her emerald pools.

"You know exactly what's with the scarf." The dog-trainer froze at her tone, and any retort that he had been forming was lost. She had just asserted so much with that one sentence. She was fierce and dominating, and she would not submit to him, or anyone for that matter, easily. And her scent backed her up fully. She was in complete control of the situation and would not be relenting any time soon. And, Kiba found that he _liked_ her attitude.

Normally, being the Alpha male type, the Inuzuka heir was not one to be put in his place. But, this declaration from Sakura had done more for his libido than he was currently prepared to admit. God, was she sexy.

As if to sway him from his thoughts, Sakura extended her hand toward the kitchen. "We should eat before it gets too cold."

And, as if on cue, Kiba finally scented the awaiting meal. The smell of meat had him drooling. Well, he was bound and determined to drool at some point this night, it might as well be over food. Though, he did wish that it had involved a very naked Sakura.

Once the two had finished their meal, they moved into the living room to get started on their work. This was good because it gave them something to focus on. There had been a small amount of awkwardness at the beginning of the meal, and the sexual tension hung thickly in the air. Both of them had known what Sakura's little display had been all about, but neither knew exactly how to proceed. Sakura had meant it merely as a challenge and awaited the boy's next move, and Kiba was sure that she meant for him to back off. Both were confused about the other's actions; thus they had come to a stalemate in their little game. Which sucked, since they had just begun. Either they were both really lame flirts or they were taking one another way too seriously.

Thankfully, Akamaru had very loudly proclaimed that Sakura had outdone herself on the meal. To which, she had cheekily replied that, if she had actually cooked the meal, they would have never made it through the evening alive. This light banter allowed for a halting flow of jibes to circle the room here and there, but, for the most part, the three had eaten rather quietly. This bothered Sakura, since she and Kiba had always got on so amicably. Why had declaring her control over her environment caused such a rift?

Sulking slightly at how poorly the evening had been going, Sakura sat on the floor between the couch and the coffee table. She rested her back on the sofa while flipping through the pages of reports that she wanted to discuss with the dog-boy.

"Okay, Pink, so tell me what you want to know about my clan," Kiba's voice came from where he sat on the sofa next to her. So, he hadn't closed off completely and was still willing to at least accomplish his reason for coming over this evening.

"Well, can you start by telling me a little about how Akamaru chose you to be his companion?"

That one little question had done it. Showing an interest in the boy's family and friendship with his dog had opened a flood gate. She had seen a diatribe of emotions come from the dog-nin in the long years that she had known him, but she had never witnessed _anything _like this. His golden eyes were lit up beautifully as he rambled from one subject to another about his roots. The amount of pride and love that he felt for his family radiated from him to where it almost became tangible. And Sakura very much wished that she could know what it was like to feel this way about something.

Sure, she had strong emotions. And, sure, she greatly loved her family, friends, and village, but her feelings had never been so _fierce_. Sakura found herself wanting to know what it would be like for someone to protect her with all of their thoughts and actions.

Kiba noticed the change in Sakura's mood very acutely. She had gone from alert and eager to listen to wistful and far away. Her scent had even changed to that of desperation and loneliness. Shit, he had said something to make her feel bad. The evening had been uncomfortable enough that he was not willing to allow something else to come between them. She had finally regained some of her composure since her blatant challenge to his authority, and her heartbeat had returned to normal. But now everything was changing, again.

"Pink, what's wrong?" He turned his head in her direction which took very little movement since he had long ago moved to the floor beside her. This, of course, had been on the pretense of looking over the information in the files along with her. And, the fact that he could smell her better from this spot had absolutely nothing to do with it.

"Well, Kitten," she positively purred. Was he hearing things? Had she just spoken to him in a seductive manner? Just then, Kiba caught a whiff of Sakura's musky arousal. Wait, was she turned on? He looked at her confused.

"I just wanted to know one more thing..." And as her sentence hung in the air unfinished, she reached a tentative hand to his cheek. The boy looked from her hand to her face, not understanding at all what was going on. She brushed a finger across the red stripe which adorned the cheek that she was currently cupping.

At the sudden jolt of the sensation brought on by that light touch, Kiba closed his eyes and stifled a small whimper. Realizing the affect of her tiny brush against his marking, she traced the full length with her thumb. The boy could not long contain himself and released a small growl as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her palm to his lips for a kiss.

"So, this is why you invited my over," he smirked wickedly, "so that you could pet me?"

Sakura smirked right back at him, "well, I just wondered if the rumor about your clan markings was true. So, do you have them anywhere else?" She asked, feigning innocence.

Kiba licked her palm, sending a shock of sensation through the girl's body that landed straight in her stomach. He cocked a brow at her, then said, "Maybe...But isn't there another rumor about we Inuzukas that you should be more interested in?"

The pink-haired woman, who was currently blushing quite splendidly at both her boldness and his reception of said boldness, wrinkled her brow wondering what he was talking about.

"You, know. The one about the magic we can do with our mouths."

And before Sakura could even muster a response, she was pulled both into the boy's lap and a long thorough kiss.

Akamaru, realizing just how hot and heavy things were about to get, slowly stalked his way into the kitchen to rest beneath the kitchen table.

When Kiba pulled her into his lap, Sakura had no time to react. So she grabbed the first thing she could which was the front of his t-shirt. Now, as he lightly nipped her bottom lip asking to deepen their kiss, she tightened her grip. His shirt was going to be completely mangled if she didn't get a grip on herself soon. The girl focused her thoughts on the feel of his warmth beneath her, in front of her, surrounding her. She concentrated on his hands, one of which had splayed itself across the small of her back while the other was cradling her head. As he nipped her bottom lip again trying to pull her thoughts back to what he was trying to accomplish, she relented while wrapping her arms around his neck.

She opened her mouth slightly, just enough to allow him to dip his tongue for a taste. With a light reprimanding growl, he reached into the hair at her nape and tugged gently. When she 'eeeped' she opened up enough for him to reach in and fully explore her mouth. Once he had fully tasted her warmth, Kiba broke the kiss. He leaned back and looked at the pink-haired beauty who rested in his arms. She was blushing madly and her eyes were closed, mouth lightly agape.

"You're not gonna make me do all the work, are you?" He asked sexily. Sakura's eyes shot open, all aflame, but before she could respond, he had her lip-locked once again. This, time however, she retaliated lustily.

Her tongue entered his mouth first, and she explored it thoroughly loving the scrape of his elongated canines against her flesh. After allowing her the time to fully taste him, Kiba dove headlong into the kiss. He dominated their movements, as he knew he should. Of course, he was an Inuzuka, and he knew how to kiss. Sakura just wondered what else he could do with that delicious mouth.

And, as if reading her mind, Kiba broke their breath-defying contact in order to begin planting light kisses across her cheek to her ear.

"Pink, you taste so good," he whispered huskily before moving on to skim his tongue along the skin beneath her ear. He smiled cockily at her bodily response. She couldn't contain the shiver that his warm breath pulled from her spine, and her scent spiked to the point that he almost couldn't keep from ripping her clothes of and mounting her right then. Of course, he was having way too much fun drawing these sensations from her body. Her heart had sped up considerably, but it was steady and strong. She had gone beyond all ability to stop, and so had he.

Sakura found that in their current position, she could not fully appreciate the hot body that sat beneath her, so she readjusted herself to where she could sit more fully on his lap and not pull a muscle in her back from twisting it awkwardly. He only seemed slightly shocked at her boldness when she turned her body to where she was straddling his lap; her body pressed more fully against his. If she shifted just right, she would not be able to mistake his intentions for the evening. There, she did it, now she knew just how hot she made him.

He looked up from the spot on her throat that he had been licking for just a moment. What he saw in the girl's face was pure contentment. She didn't seem to mind at all where this was leading. Well, now he knew just what to do. So he went back to kissing and licking the milky skin that covered her neck, but was soon halted by a stupid piece of yellow cloth. He nearly pulled his hands from where they had begun tracing light circles down her back up to untie the offending material. However, he remembered the reason for the scarf and left it be. He smiled into her throat. Maybe he could deal with not having complete control for once. The fact that she still had not moved to submit was highly erotic, and he suddenly needed to kiss her again.

Kiba reached up and pulled her mouth toward his with bruising force, and he did not give her the opportunity to question who was in control. Of their kisses anyways. And it wasn't like she was complaining either.

Before he let her up for air, Kiba pushed the coffee table back a bit with his foot. He then twisted their bodies to where Sakura was resting beneath him with her back to the floor. When he let go of her mouth, her eyes fluttered open long enough to see molten pools of gold gliding over her body. She closed her eyes again with a sigh hoping that his hands would soon follow. Kiba bent his head down to attack her throat once again as a hand moved along the hem of her t-shirt. He was fully intent on removing said shirt just to be able to taste more of her when Akamaru padded back into the room, a low growl curling from his mouth.

"What is it, boy," Kiba and Sakura both froze at the intrusion. Suddenly a loud bang came at the front door. Kiba glanced down at Sakura who looked like she was perfectly capable of ignoring the pounding on the door in favor of doing some pounding of her own. Just as he was about to oblige, the knocking increased in strength and insistence.

At this, a very disheveled and angry Sakura jumped up and flew to the door, eyes livid.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?" She nearly tore the door off its hinges in anger. Kiba couldn't help smiling widely at how upset she was over being interrupted. But, his enjoyment was short-lived when she closed the door and leaned against it. Tears rimmed her eyes as he was surrounded by the scent of pure terror.

"There's an emergency at the hospital. It's Kakashi."

"Go." Was all he said, and she was out the door in a flash.


	16. Mine

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, but I had to help my brother-in-law celebrate his birthday. Oh, and sorry for the cliffhanger, but I just couldn't help myself. Anyway, loves again to my reviewers. Enjoy.**

**Me no owny.**

She pulled on a borrowed medic-coat as she ran through the hospital corridors. If Kakashi was this seriously injured, and knowing him he was, then she needed to get to him fast. Outside the emergency room, there stood two of the evening medics speaking in hushed but hurried tones. Why would they be arguing at a time like this? Sakura jogged up to them and snatched the patient's chart from the man who had been waving it in the air. Before he could protest, she was flipping through it while pushing through the door. Both men held their breaths, awaiting the woman's reaction.

"A SCRATCH ON YOUR ELBOW? I WAS CALLED IN AFTER BEING HERE ALL DAY FOR THIS!"

The medic who was in charge entered the room to see a fuming Sakura who, he was sure, had steam rolling from her ears. The telltale vein above her eye was throbbing so much that he wondered if she may have a stroke. She was standing, hands on hips, glaring at her patient. The patient was leaned back, nonchalantly reading his usual smut book.

"I'm sorry Sakura-san, but he refused to leave until you checked him personally. And we need this room open in case of actual emergencies." By his tone, the man was thoroughly exasperated by the silver-haired shinobi's antics. He had been reluctant to call on the top-level medic for such a trivial reason, but Kakashi had gone so far as to threaten to release a smoke bomb in the room if not properly accommodated.

"It's alright, I'll deal with this idiot," replied Sakura with a dismissive flick of her wrist. The man bowed apologetically and left the room.

"So, what brings you to the hospital this evening?" The woman asked in her most professional tone.

Kakashi answered her with is customary eye crinkle, which signified a smile on his masked face. "I wanted to see the world's most beautiful medic."

Sakura rolled her eyes at the remark. She fumbled in the pockets of the borrowed coat looking for a pen to make notations on the man's medical report, clearly not wanting to waste any more time on someone who had faked their way into being examined by her. That was happening a lot lately, and it had Sakura wondering what had gotten into these people.

"No, really why are you here?" She asked distractedly.

"You," came his reply. At the loss of playfulness in the man's voice, her head shot up. He was sauntering toward her, and all she could think to do was step back. She tried to put anything possible between herself and the man who was stalking in her direction: her clipboard and pen, the examination table, and a chair. She finally had to halt when her back bumped against the wall. Kakashi merely stepped around the table, kicked the chair into a roll across the room, and reached for her hands to remove the clipboard and pen. He placed these on the desk that Sakura had nearly tripped over while backing into the wall.

When he had gotten back from his mission, the previous day, the man had heard rumors about Sakura's new attitude. He had been surprised to hear that she had put several people in their places, including the Hokage herself. And the news that she had repeatedly humiliated Uchiha Sasuke had amused him greatly. He had known that Sakura had been capable of unleashing a wide temper, but he had not known her to be so convicted in her decisions.

Her lack of self-confidence had always gotten in the way of that. And, now that she had learned how to stand tall, she radiated power. He had known this as soon as he had caught sight of her on the street near her apartment that morning. She walked with her head high and _bounced _with each step. That was when Kakashi had decided that he needed to know how deep that confidence went, and he knew exactly what to do. Previously, if Sakura had been easy to overcome in daily life, then she was completely pliant in bed. She was timid, shy, and meek, and had no sense of adventure whatsoever. Even after being with Gaara for as long as she had, and _everyone_ had heard the rumors of his use of sand in the bedroom. And this lack of enthusiasm had been his reasoning for letting her go. She was no fun to him in that capacity, and he had seen the telltale signs of her growing affection toward him. So, he had run.

Now, being this close to her, his resolve to meet the new Sakura had strengthened. When she had entered the room, she had been disheveled, panting, and flushed. He had originally thought that that had been the result of her mad dash to rescue him. But, being this close, his keen nose (which very nearly rivalled any Inuzuka's) told him that she had been with someone. Though, it was fading fast, he could still smell her arousal, and he caught the faint hint of something male on her clothes. Her face still held a bit of a flush and her lips were still bruised from being thoroughly kissed. It thrilled him that the girl had been pulled away from some sort of _activity_, and that it was all his fault. Of course he was aware that he had not been the cause of her aroused state, but he just knew he had to be the one to relieve her of it.

Sakura pressed back more fully against the wall in a last ditch effort to remove herself from the presence towering over her. He had a positively hungry look on his face, and she knew that look only meant trouble. Why was he doing this? He had been the one to break off their little fling, but now he was here forcing himself into her personal bubble. Something in the girl broke, and her anger poured through her body.

"Kakashi, back off," she ground out.

He leaned closer to her, masked lips barely brushing hers, and whispered, "Make me." Then he swooped in to force a hard kiss on her. Sakura's body immediately responded, and she was very nearly pulled into kissing him back. Nearly, but not quite. Thank God the mask that he wore kept spontaneous lip action to a minimum. Anger sparked her dull green eyes into blazing emeralds as she began to concentrate chakra into her knee. She spread her hands across the man's shoulders as if to embrace him, then _kneed_ him as hard as she could.

The medic who was waiting patiently outside the room _saw _the man's impact as paint chipped off of the outside wall. He rushed into the room as Sakura was making a few notations on her patient's chart. She turned to the new face and said, "Now, we have a medical emergency." She eyed the man critically before continuing, "I trust you can handle this yourself?"

"Y-yes, Sakura-san," the man squeaked. The he paled forcefully as Sakura kicked the prostrate patient before leaving the room.

That hadn't taken so long. So maybe Kiba would still be waiting at her apartment when she got home.

_Fat chance of that_, snorted Inner Sakura.

_Yeah, he's probably tired anyways._

_No, you just had to run off to rescue your ex-asshole, leaving poor dog-boy all alone._

_He knows it's not like that._

_Yeah, sure._

The second-best medic-nin in Konoha decided that now would be a good time to return home to finally get some rest. She was just about to leave, when a group of medics came rushing thorough the doors. There were groups of two carrying gurneys, four all-together. It looked as if an Anbu team had run into trouble, and that one was near death with at least one more close behind. The other two were suffering from major injuries that could turn life-threatening at any moment. Heaving a sigh at how her night was now officially shot, Sakura turned to the medic that was closest to her for the details. She would have to find out who needed her attention most desperately so that she could save them all if possible. Now, this was what she _lived_ for.

It wasn't until the very early hours of the next morning that Sakura had been able to head for home. The Hokage had come in to relieve her, and had praised her on getting the patients through the worst of their ordeal. She didn't have to be told twice to go home. And, after sending a messenger to relay to Sai that she would not be training that day, she had headed toward her apartment.

The girl yawned widely and pulled a full-body stretch as she entered her home. She pulled off her shoes at the door and padded to the kitchen to empty her jean pockets on the kitchen table. That was when she noticed that Kiba had left a note.

_Pink, hope the old man is okay. _

_I'll stop by later to check on you. _

_Akamaru sends his love. _

_Yours, K_

She smiled softly at his worry over her well-being, but it was ruined by another full-body yawn. Sakura really needed to get to sleep. The girl made her way back into the living room, and, as she pulled her jeans off, she noticed the disarray of the room. Well, the coffee table, anyway. There were still papers stacked across it, and it was still standing askew from where Kiba had kicked it out of his way the night before. Sakura's thoughts suddenly wandered to what _might_ have happened had she not been called away, and her anger flared at what _had_ caused her to have to leave. Really, she was too tired for this. So, just wearing her panties and t-shirt, the girl relaxed onto her super-comfy couch to sleep through the morning.

* * *

A few hours later, Sakura had been roused out of her sleep by an irritating thumping sound. She had rolled over and burrowed herself into the back of the couch in order to escape the horridly annoying noise, but it only persisted. It took her several minutes of incoherently blinking her eyes to remember that she was on her couch and that she had not gotten there until the young hours of the morning. A few more blinks and a fierce rub to her eyes, and she realized that the thudding that would not stop was actually someone knocking on her door. Still too asleep to be angry, she stumbled to said door and opened it.

The kunoichi stood looking blearily at a rather tired looking Kiba. Her eyes took their time focusing on him, but when she could actually see him, he seemed a little worse for wear. It was as if he had slept as little as she had the night before. Oh God, did she look that bad? Still, he managed a fang-showing grin that warmed her completely.

"Good morning, beautiful." She looked down shyly at the comment. It was as though she still couldn't believe that someone could see her in that light, but he did. The way she looked at that moment nearly had him breathless. Sakura's pink hair cascaded down her back and was slightly mussed from sleep. Her eyes were dull from being pulled from her unconscious state, and she stood rubbing them as if trying to polish them back to their vibrant luster. And, top that all off with the fact that she had been resting in her t-shirt and panties, and he almost couldn't contain his desire for her. As if noticing Kiba's train of thought, the girl jumped slightly and pulled her shirt down to better cover her exposed legs.

"Umm...come in," she said while rushing to where her jeans had landed on the floor near the couch. She pulled them on quickly, and the dog-nin whined at the loss of the sight of her slim legs. Thank god she hadn't heard him.

"So, is everything okay," Kiba asked while letting himself and Akamaru into the room. He walked up next to her and reached out to smooth down some wayward strands of her hair. Suddenly, Sakura tensed with obvious anger, and he started to pull his hand away. The pink-haired woman grasped his hand in hers to show him that he wasn't the cause of her anger.

"Yeah, that idiot just came up with some elaborate scheme to see me." Kiba raised a brow at this and nearly laughed. It seems that he was not the only one capable of faking injuries in ordered to be examined by their favorite medic.

"So what did he want?" He asked as he stepped a little closer to the object of his affection. He pulled her hand up to his mouth to place light kisses on her knuckles.

"To get me back," the girl whispered. Kiba's eyes glinted sharply for just a moment before he 'kehed' and reached up to cup her cheek with his free hand.

"And what was your answer?" Sakura chose not to answer in words. She gripped him behind the head, pulled him down to her level, and planted him with a searing kiss. Or, it would have been searing had he not pulled away wiping his mouth as if she tasted dirty.

"You kissed him?" The hurt in his voice was as painful as the look on his face, and Sakura's heart nearly broke. She had forgotten about that.

"No, the idiot kissed _me_, and I almost killed him for it."

"But, his scent is all over you. You reek of Kakashi." Something broke inside of Kiba, and his instincts went crazy. His pain was quickly overcome by a wave of possessiveness and aggression that he had never felt before. Anger flashed again, and Sakura heard a low warning growl come form the kitchen where Akamaru had disappeared. "That bastard had the nerve to touch what is _mine_."

Sakura, who had turned to flee to the other side of the room was frozen by what she had just heard. _His_? She didn't have enough time to muster the anger that she had begun to feel before Kiba's strong arms wrapped completely around her and pulled her back toward his chest. He buried his nose in her hair as if trying to find her scent and nudged her hair to the side so that he could taste the skin of her ear and jaw.

Kiba had no idea what had caused this. His emotions had complete control over his body, and all he could do was hope that Sakura would not wound him too badly once she took stock in the situation. While he awaited her reaction, he relished in the pleasure of finding her true scent in her hair and on her jaw. He would have liked to have lapped at her throat, but that frustrating scarf was still intact. Luckily, his instinct-crazed mind knew not to touch the cloth.

Sakura stood stalk still as she assessed what was happening. Kiba was currently _sniffing _her, and his right hand had moved down her body to grip her hip as his left hand had placed itself just under the hem of her shirt across her stomach. Had it not been for the death-grip which was causing his elongated nails to dig into her leg through her jeans, Sakura would have been in heaven. But, with every passing second, his grip tightened, and he seemed to become more and more agitated. It was as if he needed reassurance that she had turned Kakashi down.

_I can't believe you're okay with being claimed as a possession_, came her Inner voice.

_Hello, this is the heir to the Inuzuka clan._

_So, that doesn't make it okay for him to touch us like this._

_No, but I'm sure that he is just feeling threatened by the fact that we shared a moment last night, and now I smell like some other guy has tried to have me._

Knowing that this had to be the reason for the boy's outburst, Sakura rethought the ball of chakra that she currently held in her left hand. Suddenly, an idea sparked. If he was aggressive like a dog, then maybe he could be calmed down like one. She turned the malevolent chakra in her hand into a glowing mass of gentle green before diverting it to her fingertips. She then reached behind her to rub her fingers across his temple.

Kiba tensed fractionally and emitted a low growl at the sensation of her chakra, but Sakura just forged on by increasing how much she released. And, in no time the dog-boy had relaxed his hold on her enough to where she could turn toward him. She added her right hand to his other temple and slowly massaged as much tension away as possible. It didn't take long for the boy's eyes to be rolling back into his head, and he let out a low groan of satisfaction.

"Why, Kitten, I do believe that you are purring." Sakura responded cheekily. She was answered with a bark of laughter as Kiba pulled her into a tight hug. He then stepped away from her looking highly embarrassed.

"Sorry," he barely mumbled, and moved to leave the apartment.

"Wait, Kitten, I have something I need to ask you." Sakura blurted before she could stop herself. She really didn't want him to leave. He had only been following what his instincts had driven him to, and, thanks to all of her research, she understood. But, she still wanted to know where they stood. "Please have a seat on the couch, and I'll be back in a minute."

Kiba looked as if he would take off running at any moment, but he relented at her pleading look.

"Where are you going," he asked sitting down on the couch.

"To wash that asshole's stink off," she retorted as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.


	17. Decisions

**A/N: Well, hello, there!! Hope this update finds you well. I want to give my usual loves to my reviewers and those who have put this story on alert. And, on with the next chapter!!**

**I don't own these guys.**

Sakura wiped the condensation from the bathroom mirror as she towel-dried her hair. She had spent the few minutes of her shower contemplating the occurrences of the past few hours. Kiba had shown her that he felt something more than friendship toward her, but she wasn't really sure if she should retaliate. He was in the process of searching for a wife, and this was something the girl knew that she wasn't ready for. But, she liked him...a lot. She just didn't know _how_ much.

So, while scrubbing stupid Kakashi's stench from her face and body, she had come to no conclusion whatsoever as to how to handle the situation in which she had found herself. Sure, she was physically attracted to the mutt, but she knew she wasn't ready to try a 'friends-with-benefits' relationship again. Especially with Kakashi going through this weird psychosis of his. Just what she needed, another overly-protective man stalking her. Wasn't that why she had trained so hard to get stronger, so that she wouldn't find herself at the mercy of men who thought her incapable of self-preservation?

Heaving a huge sigh, Sakura tossed on her customary tank top and shorts. After Kiba left, she was definitely going to go to bed. This day had been way too stressful for her. And she still had no idea how to approach the dog-boy about his actions a few moments ago. There he was, acting all possessive, like she hadn't kicked the crap out of Kakashi all by herself, and she had no idea where he had come off claiming that she belonged to him.

Sighing again, she ran a brush through her pinkness, and thought idly about cutting the tresses again. Maybe that would prove once and for all that she was serious about being a top-level kunoichi. But, then her eyes rested on the scarf that lay on the edge of the sink. And, as she replaced the fabric around her neck, she was reminded of Kiba's revelation about baring her throat, thus baring her weaknesses to the world. She would not cut her hair nor remove the scarf until _she _had complete control of her surroundings.

Having made up her mind on what to do about her hair, she moved to leave the bathroom. Shit. She still had no idea what to do about the very good-looking man who was currently waiting in the living room for her. A very good-looking man whom she had very nearly jumped the previous evening, and one whose kisses, she had decided, had become an addiction to her. Yup, she was in big trouble.

Sakura's wildly swirling thoughts were calmed immediately upon seeing the vision that lay on her couch. Kiba had stretched out while waiting for her return, and he had dozed into a rather peaceful sleep. Sakura glanced at Akamaru who was still residing under the kitchen table.

"He was so worried about you last night, that he didn't sleep at all," the great white dog stated before lowering his head back onto his paws. Sakura nodded her head in acknowledgement. He had worried about her? She then padded over to the couch to stand above the boy.

As it was his day off from any shinobi duties, Kiba had not worn his Konoha headband nor his uniform. Instead, he had opted for a deep red t-shirt and dark jeans. The red of the shirt brought out the deep color of his cheek stripes, and Sakura was reminded of how sensitive those areas were to the touch. She was struck again by the question as to whether or not he had the markings any where else. Pushing that thought down into the depths of her mind, she reached out to stroke his hair. Then, not being able to resist, she ran a finger lightly over the stripe which adorned his left cheek. The boy smiled, allowing a fang to slip over his lip.

Without opening his eyes, Kiba said, "So, you did really only invite me over to pet me, huh?" His voice was deep and sleep-filled. Absolutely sexy. The girl's face lit up bright pink as she moved to pulled her hand back, but he gripped her wrist and pulled her down onto the couch with him. Kiba shifted himself as well as Sakura's body so that she lay on the outer edge of the couch with her back pressed against his front. All of this was accomplished miraculously with his eyes closed. The dog-nin's arms snaked around the girl's waist and drew her in closer as he nuzzled still-wet hair.

At the risk of breaking the mood, Sakura spoke. "So, I'm yours?" The girl had whispered the question almost hoping he wouldn't hear her. However, she had forgotten about the Inuzuka super-hearing that could not be shut off.

"Hmm...I hope so..." he answered as he snuggled in closer, eyes still closed. Sakura knew it was hopeless to even think about trying to talk to the boy right now, so she reached back and ran her hand through his hair. His response was a deep rumbling groan.

"Why, Kitten, you're purring again," the girl snickered softly, but got no reply. The canine-trainer had already fallen back to sleep. Sakura was suddenly overcome by a deep yawn, and she remembered just how tired she actually was. And, so Sakura fell asleep in Kiba's arms.

* * *

The pink-haired kunoichi was awoken by a loud 'thunk', and it took her a moment to realize that the sound had been her hitting the floor as she fell from the couch. She sat up groggily, rubbing her head where it had hit the floor rather hard, and glanced around the room with sleep-caked eyes. After taking a moment to remove the offending crust from her vision, Sakura noticed that it was late afternoon. She must have slept another couple of hours. And, just as her stomach rumbled from hunger, she saw that she was alone in her apartment. Kiba had left.

The girl stood and looked around the room again, slightly dazed. Why would he leave and not tell her? Just then she saw a note on the coffee table.

_Pink, Have a mission in the morning,_

_ and headed home to prepare. _

_I'll see ya when I get back. _

_Yours, K._

Another mission? Tsume and Tsunade really weren't messing around when it came to trying to match Kiba up with one of Konoha's kunoichi. She really needed to tell him about their plans. Wait...Why did she care, again? And why did it bother her so much that he would be spending some time alone on a mission with another girl? This was beginning to be a problem, and Sakura needed to figure out a way to get her mind off of a certain dog-boy.

As she went into the kitchen to fix a light snack, since she hadn't eaten all day, Sakura thought about what she needed to do the next day. She would first train with Sai, since she had stood him up this morning, and hopefully work some of her frustrations off. Then, she would visit the Hokage to see if she had any mission assignments. Hmmm...maybe she could poke around a little and find out with whom Kiba had been sent on his mission.

At this thought, Sakura shook her head. She really needed to stop thinking about this.

_No, you need to tell his mom and your shishou to mind their own damned business,_ invaded her Inner voice.

_Why? There's nothing going on between us._

_I can't believe how well you can lie to yourself. You're in love with the idiot._

_No. _Sakura refused to believe that she had fallen for someone, yet again. She had gone through so much to change, and she was not about to ruin that.

_Yes, but he loves you back. Remember, he said he hoped you would be his._

_Well, yeah._

_So, go to his mom's and tell her to screw off, and then tell Tsunade to blow those missions out her ass. _Inner Sakura shouted while clenching her fist. Sakura mimicked the motion. She really didn't like the way these missions could affect all parties involved. And, deep down she really didn't want Kiba to fall for another girl while she hadn't had her chance yet. So, the pink-haired woman fixed her meal and ate while thinking of all of the colorful things she would say to Inuzuka Tsume the next day.

After her meal, Sakura decided that she needed some more rest, so she thought she would turn in for the night. But, instead of going to her bedroom to sleep in her wonderfully comfortable bed, the girl placed her alarm clock on her coffee table. She had decided to sleep on the couch again, not entirely sure why. However, upon settling into the cushioned comfort of the sofa, she realized why she wanted to be there. Turning her body to where it faced the back of the couch, she snuggled in and was surrounded by the smell of the man who had slept there only a few hours earlier. Before sleep overtook the girl for the last time that evening, she thought that the mutt's dog-smell wasn't quite so bad after all.

* * *

The next morning, Sai had been surprised to see a fully refreshed Sakura who had no trouble keeping up with him. The entire duration of their training, he had thrown some of his more intricate drawing techniques at her, and the girl had flung them aside with ease. She was definitely living up to her name as Tsunade's apprentice.

At the end of their training session, Sai had placed himself at the foot of their usual tree so that they could discuss their match. Sakura did not join him like usual, and, when questioned, she merely stated that she had an appointment that she needed to keep. With a wave and a promise to meet him for training the next day, she was on her way.

Sai, sat for a few moments marvelling at the girl's changes before he decided to acknowledge the presence that he had felt watching them.

"She's gone, so you can come out now, Sasuke."

The Uchiha landed in a crouch in front of Sai, then stood in his usual slouch with hands in pockets. His normally gloomy face looked rather pensive this morning.

"So..." He left his question hanging in the air as if Sai would know what he was asking. Sai feigned ignorance.

"So, what?" He removed his scroll and paintbrush and began inking a new masterpiece.

"What's up with Sakura?" Sakura's attitude had been rubbing Sasuke the wrong way, and he wanted to know what her deal was. She had been completely disrespectful to him, and he hated it. Of all of the people in the world, the one whom he had expected to take him back with open arms had been Sakura. And she had done no such thing. At least, when she ignored him, he knew it was because she felt guilty about not fawning all over him like when they were kids. He had still had that control over her. But now, she blatantly denied him any ounce of dominance. And it irritated him to no end.

"She's over you, Girly-boy, so just deal with it," came Sai's voice. There was a glint in his eye that very nearly resembled anger. Sasuke knew that look; he had seen it before, and so chose not to push the subject further. He would find out about Sakura's change some other way. So he resigned himself to leaning against the tree, attempting to look dark and brooding while actually looking like a pouting five-year-old. Sai would have laughed, if he knew how.

* * *

After running home for a quick shower, Sakura headed toward the Inuzuka compound. She had something she needed to get off of her chest, and she needed to do it fast before she lost her nerve. The girl knew that she was overstepping her boundaries, but what the woman was doing just didn't sit right with her. Sakura _had _to let Tsume know that she did not approve of her matchmaking schemes, especially since they had dealt with her.

Now, Sakura found herself sitting in a quaint living room in the main house of the compound awaiting the head of the Inuzuka clan. She hoped that she would not make a complete fool of herself. Dealing with important people such as clan heads and politicians had always been difficult for the pink-haired medic because she had never truly appreciated their wheeling and dealing and oftentimes underhandedness. She could only hope that Tsume was as hospitable as her son.

Sakura was drawn out of her thoughts when the older woman entered the room, followed by her wolf-hound, Kuromaru. Inuzuka Tsume was the epitome of tough kunoichi. She had simple looks, brown hair and eyes, even her clan markings were not profound, but she permeated strength. Her power was one of calm confidence, one that Sakura was sure was an asset in her dealings as head of a clan.

"What can I do for you today, Haruno-san," Tsume spoke softly as she motioned for the girl to sit on the couch as she took her place in the accompanying chair. The girl was taken aback slightly by the show of respect, but recovered quickly when remembering just who she was talking to. She had heard some of the stories of the growing, albeit often drunken, friendship between this woman and her shishou. There really couldn't be anything for her to fear, right?

Sakura bowed lowly to the woman and tilted her head to the side. By doing this she was acknowledging the woman's role as an Alpha, but that she was not willing to completely submit. Tsume smiled and nodded. Sakura then placed her hand palm-out for Kuromaru to inspect her. He merely flicked his tongue to her palm then turned his back on her completely.

Tsume chuckled at this. "Feel honored, Haruno-san, he doesn't lick just anyone." Sakura bowed to the dog before sitting. Tsume waited for the girl to begin. Swallowing hard and forcing herself to remain calm, Sakura started.

She told the woman that she knew of her matchmaking plots with the Hokage, and that she had already given Tsunade a piece of her mind on the matter. Sakura told Kiba's mother that she did not think it was fair to her son nor the kunoichi involved to be placed in potentially hazardous situations all in an effort to find him a wife. Then Sakura ended her tirade and awaited the woman's response. She had not been expecting to be outright laughed at.

"I can see by your actions today, that you are well read in the many customs of my clan." Sakura opened her mouth to explain, but the elder kunoichi raised a hand to halt her. "Perhaps you should read more. My son must choose a wife before he can rightfully take over as head of the clan on his twenty-first birthday. That is in a little more than a month. So time is of the essence." The woman paused for measure before continuing. "And, if Kiba does not find a wife so that he can take on his duties, he will be forced to leave the clan. And Akamaru will be killed."

Tsume looked at girl in front of her. She had not known what to think when she had first seen her standing in her home. This was the Hokage's choice for her son, but Tsume had been very reluctant to agree. Sure, this girl was a great medic, but she was so unstable otherwise. Her files ran rampant with anecdotes of when her teammates had been forced to rescue her, as well as times when she had been unable to return the favor for her male counterparts. However, this young woman seemed different than the girl she had read about.

Sakura had begun their conversation smelling of fear mixed with mild anger. These had been difficult to detect because all Tsume had originally found was the scent of her son all over the girl. This had angered the woman momentarily at the thought that he was still playing around at an important time like this. But, upon further inspection, Tsume had realized that the scent was not a part of Sakura; it was just on her. Her son had spent that much time with the girl and _not_ screwed her? She really needed to talk to her pup, but she needed to focus on the matter at hand.

At the mention of Kiba losing his claim on the clan and Akamaru's possible loss of life, Sakura had paled visibly. This was not fair at all. And now she had a grasp of the gravity of the situation. She cared a lot for Kiba, but she didn't know if she could give him the relationship that he needed. It was a good thing that she had come here after all. It was all put in perspective for her now. She would have to give him up to someone else, and that was it. Nothing else. It was time for her to go home now.

After showing the sad girl out of her home, Tsume called to Kuromaru.

"So, what do you think?"

"I think she is suitable for Kiba," Kuromaru answered his mistress. "She has a very soothing chakra, and has the patience to keep him balanced."

"But, did you sense the sadness in her as she went to leave?"

"Yes, I think she doesn't know if she is ready." Kuromaru gave thoughtfully.

"I thought so too, but we don't have time for her to be so uncertain. Now, we just need to prod her into making the decision."

"How do we do that?"

Tsume's eyes twinkled as she grinned broadly. Kuromaru may have been frightened at this uncharacteristic show of emotion from his companion. That is, if he feared anything, which he didn't.

"Jealousy can be a wonderous ally." She said as she patted him on the head before leaving the room.


	18. Of Break Downs and Break Throughs

**A/N: I've said this before. Mondays suck. So the only thing that got me through work today was the fact that I got to come home and write this chapter for ya'll. Thanks again to all of my readers and reviewers. And here's an extra-long-lemony-good chapter in thanks for your support. I hope you likes it. **

**Don't own 'em.**

Sai looked at Sakura completely puzzled. The woman standing in front of him was totally at odds with the woman with whom he had been sparring the past week. His partner was a strong kunoichi who had perfect control over her body and chakra, but this girl had nothing of the sort. She had not been able to land a single punch, and all of her ninjustu had been off to the point of being silly. It was like he was fighting Naruto when they were younger. That was why he had decided to call an end to her humiliation early.

"Sakura, is there something bothering you?" He asked in what could have been a soothing voice. The girl just stood there looking at the ground, deep in thought. After another call of her name and a light touch on the arm, she finally roused from her trance.

"Oh, sorry, Sai, did you say something?"

The artist only shook his head, even more confused. She should have crushed his hand for touching her like that, but she hadn't even acknowledged the occurrence.

"I think you need to go home and get some rest."

"Yeah, I guess I will. Thanks, Sai," she said halfheartedly as she moved to leave their practice field. As he watched Sakura wander away, Sai let out a disgruntled sigh. It wasn't even seven o'clock; what was he going to do for the rest of the day? Then, his eyes narrowed only slightly as an idea struck him. There was someone that he wanted to see; someone he hadn't been alone with for a while. So, with a slight curve of what could have been a smile, the emotionless ex-Roots member left the field in pursuit of a way to fend off early boredom.

Meanwhile, Sakura was wandering in the general direction of her home, not really focusing on where she was going. Her mind was in chaos, and she really didn't know what to do. Of course her thoughts were focused on a certain tall, dark, and handsome dog-boy, and she was arguing with herself about how to handle her newly acquired information dealing with said boy.

_I just don't think I'm ready to get into something so serious with him, _Sakura told herself for the hundredth time that morning.

_No you're not, but you can't just let him go, can you?_

_I have to. I can't ask him to sacrifice Akamaru just to wait for me. _ The girl folded her arms around her body as an unnatural cold chill swam over her.

_But that means he'll pick someone else._ _And we'll be stuck fending off losers like Kakashi again._

_But, maybe this just means that Kakashi is ready to be serious about me. _Sakura brightened up fractionally at the thought, but gloomed up once more in an instant.

_You don't really mean that,_ her Inner reprimanded.

_I know, but what can I do? This is clan customs we're talking about. The only person who can affect clan laws are the councils or the...Hokage._ Suddenly Sakura knew exactly what she needed to do.

_That's my girl. Go straight to the one person who can help us. Cha! _Inner Sakura hollered as Sakura changed her trajectory and started a dead run toward Hokage tower.

One thought did enter her mind, but she pushed it away just as quickly. Would Kiba be willing to wait for her to get her act together?

A few minutes later found a completely winded Sakura standing outside the Hokage's office practically beating the door off its hinges. Shizune watched, bottom jaw on the floor at the girl's audacity in bothering their sensei at such an early hour. Tsunade was surely not fully awake and sporting a lovely hangover, and this would not go well with Sakura being so hasty. Just as the dark-haired assistant stepped around her desk to try to calm the young woman, the Hokage's office door flew open to reveal a very groggy and angry blond.

"SAKURA, THIS HAD BETTER BE GOOD!" She turned her back on both women as she moved back to her desk. Okay, so yelling at the top of her lungs had done less for her headache than Sakura's incessant pounding. Tsunade knew why the girl was here, hell, she had been expecting it. But why the hell so early?

Sakura knew she needed to do some major sucking up in order to get what she wanted, so she moved into the office, closing the door behind her. She then eased around to the Hokage's side and placed her hands on the woman's temples. Green chakra left her fingertips and settled into the older kunoichi's skin. And, as Sakura massaged away the pain, the Hokage knew the girl needed something.

"Spill. You never sooth my hangovers, so what do you want?" The woman's voice brooked no alternative but to get straight to the point.

"I want you to put a stop to a terrible clan ritual." Okay, so this was not what Tsunade had expected. She looked up at her student, momentarily unsure of what to say. She recovered, then motioned for the girl to sit. After Sakura was seated, she was prompted to continue.

"Okay, so the Inuzukas are forcing Kiba to get married. You knew that already." She paused for the affirmative nod from her mistress. "Well, if he doesn't find a girl to marry before his birthday in a month, they'll kill Akamaru. You can't let this happen," the girl cried pleadingly.

Well, this was a little more along the lines of what Tsunade had expected. Some sort of attempt to stop the marriage ritual, but she had not expected it to center around Kiba's dog. Neither had Tsume. Well, now was as good a time as any to make it about something else.

"Don't worry, dear, I don't think there will be any problems that will cause Kiba to sacrifice his companion," Tsunade looked seriously at her student. Sakura thought for a moment, relief washing over her. Then another emotion entirely entered the fray.

"What do you mean?" She asked haltingly.

"As you know, we have sent Kiba on another mission with a kunoichi. One that is younger but has the potential to be very strong." Sakura's face suddenly darkened. "And, I have just received word that they will be staying in the neighboring village for another day. They must have hit it off pretty well for them to want to spend some more time together..."

Before Tsunade could even finish her musing, Sakura stood and left the room. Not even a word of goodbye was heard as she stormed out of the office. Shizune ran into the room wondering what was up, and she was welcomed by the Hokage's rolling laughter.

"That girl is easier to read than the academy's first year textbooks," was all she gave in explanation. But Shizune knew exactly what was going on, and she nodded in agreement.

Sakura had no idea what had gone through her mind as the Hokage had told her of the new developments between Kiba and his teammate; all she knew was that she _had_ to get out of that room. So, she fled to the only place her jumbled mind could think to go: her team's practice field. And as she finally stopped running long enough to catch her breath, the girl's thoughts caught up with her.

_He can't do this to me._ She thought wildly.

_Well...umm...he did. What's this make, four?_ Inner Sakura cut in, not one ounce of sympathy for herself.

_Not again..._

"FUCK!" And as her scream reverberated through the village, Sakura unleashed every ounce of pain and anger she carried on anything that came into her sights. She demolished every tree she could find, and then she let loose on the ground itself.

Suddenly, as Sakura was about send yet another chakra-laden punch into the earth, two strong arms grabbed her from behind. Just as she was about to turn on her assailant, he spoke into her ear.

"Sakura, that's enough." Naruto told her firmly as he reinforced his grip on her body. The boy had been randomly wandering by his team's practice field and thinking of how he couldn't wait to see Hinata again, when he had seen Sakura rip a tree to pieces. He had thought that she was just practicing by herself and settled in to watch, but he reassessed his thoughts when he heard her curses. Sakura never said those words unless she was angry. That was when he noticed that her movements were erratic, and he could sense that she was on the verge of vanquishing her own chakra. Thus he had stepped in to stop her.

The girl, upon recognizing her savior's voice, turned to him. She looked in his blue eyes which were uncommonly serious, and did something she had not done in years. She cried.

Naruto had not seen Sakura like this since Sasuke had left, and he had no idea what could have caused her to get this way. Usually she closed herself off when she was upset, and would focus on her work instead of letting anyone know she was in pain. This had been a result of her training to get stronger so that they wouldn't have to protect her anymore. She wouldn't let anyone see her hurt just because she thought it was a bother.

He knew not to dig into her thoughts and merely held her close for a moment. Then, he moved them to sit under the one tree that she had not demolished and pulled her into his lap so that he could hold her until she calmed down. Finally, after a few minutes, her sobs quieted.

"I went through so much training so that you wouldn't have to constantly protect me, and here you are coming to my rescue again," she sobbed out softly.

"Sakura, you're my best friend, I'm here no matter what." Then, since Naruto didn't have a handkerchief, because he was never prepared for occasions like this, he pulled his sleeve over his hand and began wiping the girl's tears.

She pulled away from him and stood up, offering her hand to assist him. "Thanks," she said with a smile, and Naruto walked his best friend home. He still never said a word about what had happened, and she silently thanked him even more for his consideration.

* * *

At around ten o'clock that evening Sakura was awakened by a loud knock at her door. Why did everyone insist on coming for a visit when she was sleeping? The pink-haired woman pulled herself up from her couch and stumbled to the door. It seemed that she had been foregoing sleep in her bed quite often lately. She wondered why that could be.

_Hello, smells like a certain hotty_, Inner Sakura stated matter-of-factly. This revelation thoroughly pissed her off. That's it; after she chased this intruder away, she would enjoy the rest of the evening in her own bed.

However, all thoughts of enjoying anything flitted away when she opened the door to see a startled Kiba.

"I think I'll leave you two alone," said Akamaru as he bolted down the hall. The aura surrounding that girl was so tense that he did not want to be subject to whatever wrath it would bring about. Both, boy and dog, had sensed that she was in turmoil before she opened the door, but they hadn't expected her to be seething.

"Pink, what's the matter," Kiba asked her, immediately worried for her well-being.

Sakura stood in the entrance to her apartment and crossed her arms over her body, which suddenly felt very exposed in nothing but a tank top and shorts. Her eye began to twitch involuntarily.

"Don't call me that," she said coolly.

This caught the boy completely by surprise, and he looked at her warily.

"Okay...Sakura, what's wrong?"

"As if you couldn't guess," she snorted as she turned her back on him to make her way back to the couch. She didn't close the door in his face, so that was a good sign, right? "Well, are you coming in or not?" She was so angry, so why was she inviting him in?

Kiba entered the apartment cautiously and closed the door behind him. He then moved to sit beside her on the couch. In an attempt to calm his girl's nerves, the boy reached out to cup her cheek. She pushed his hand away.

"Don't," her eyes and voice were cold.

"I can't fix it, if I don't know what's broke," he said while trying to initiate contact once again.

"I said, don't," Sakura's eyes flashed. "Didn't you get enough of that from your new teammate?" Okay, so where had this come from? He had only been gone a day, and here she was freaking out over his partner?

"Sakura, what are you talking about?" Finally, her anger could hold no longer, and she let everything out in the open.

"The Hokage told me that you were spending another day in another village with a younger kunoichi, and that she was the one that you wanted to marry..."

Kiba tapped her lightly on the forehead with a claw tip. "Think, girl, if I was staying another day, would I be here with you right now?"

That caught her off guard. He was right, if he had stayed there with that girl, there was no way that he could be here in her apartment. Kiba then leaned in and pressed a light kiss to the corner of her mouth.

"I rushed our mission by a day so that I could get back here to you," he said softly against her mouth. Then the dog-trainer leaned back just enough for her to see into his eyes. "I wish you had my sense of smell; that way you might believe me. I only carry as much of that girl's scent on me as can be accumulated by being in close range of a person. I don't carry as much of her scent on me as you do Naruto's." He smiled cheekily.

"I...but...nothing..." Sakura floundered having completely forgotten that she would still carry her friend's scent after he had consoled her earlier in the day, but she was cut off by a long, breath-defying kiss.

"Pink, I came back for _you_," he whispered before drawing Sakura into another long kiss. She would surely suffocate if this kept up much longer.

Having finished telling the girl how he felt, Kiba decided that it was time to show her. And, it didn't help that she was covered in the fox-boy's scent, but that would be gone as soon as she was out of her clothes. Thus, he lifted his hands from where they had rested on either side of him on the couch, and he cupped her face to gain her undivided attention. Kissing her fully, once again, he ran his tongue along her lower lip until she relented and allowed him access. She really did taste divine.

Sakura, in an uncharacteristic fit of courage, plunged her tongue into Kiba's mouth before he could react. This caused him to open his eyes in surprise, and he was glad for it. This way, he could see the pink-haired beauty in a moment of self-indulgence. Her brow was slightly creased in concentration, and she smiled slightly as she took control of the kiss. Sakura let out a low moan at his acceptance to her authority, and he thought she couldn't be any sexier than at that moment.

Of course, the girl's hands were not idle, for she took control of their touches much how she controlled their kisses. Placing Kiba's hands on her waist, she set to exploring his body with her hands over his clothes. He did let out a slight growl of frustration when she wouldn't let him move his hands from her waist, but the growl turned into a grunt when she brushed her hand across the sensitive marks on his face. The girl grinned mischievously as she moved her hands down from his face to his shoulders, across his chest, down his stomach, to rest on his thighs.

As Sakura's hands felt his every muscle, Kiba was forced to endure without actually participating. That is until he realized that she would allow him the use of his mouth and tongue, but not his hands. So, he broke off from kissing her to nibble on her earlobe and trace light kisses down the side of her neck. Of course he had to bi-pass the ever-present yellow scarf, but he didn't mind so much. He actually kind of liked the fact that she would leave it on.

Upon passing the yellow material binding the girl's throat, the dog-nin, ran his lips across the skin exposed by the tank top and then moved to kiss across the part of her chest that was revealed to him. As his mouth came into contact with Sakura's collarbone, a fang bumped the bone slightly, and the girl inhaled sharply. Oh, so she liked that did she? He smirked to himself and nibbled in the same place with both fangs. Sakura's back arched wildly as she let out a breathy moan. This seemed to send her into over drive, and she kissed him feverishly.

Suddenly, the girl stood and turned her back to him. She began to walk away, and Kiba grunted in irritation.

"Where do you think you are going?" He asked voice deep and sensual. She looked over her shoulder to see the most astonishing sight ever. Seriously, ever.

Kiba's hair was tousled more-so than usual and a chunk of his bangs would have fallen into his eyes had it not been for his headband restraining them. He was flushed from all of the heat running rampant through his body, and he was panting heavily. The dog-boy's eyes were glazed over and lust filled, and he positively seemed to salivate as he looked at her. One look at the growing bulge in his lap, and Sakura knew that she was done for, not that she really minded.

"If you must know, Kitten." She stood on her tip-toes as she stretched fully showing off all her assets. Kiba audibly gulped at the view. "I think I'm going to bed." She proceeded to walk down the hallway to her room.

Kiba blinked, not really sure what had just happened. They had just had a heated moment on the couch, and now she was going to sleep? Oh, no, this wasn't happening. He looked down at his lap and wondered what he was going to do. But, before the boy had a chance to get angry or feel self-pity or whatever, he heard an angel's voice float in from the bedroom.

"Are you coming?' The dog-nin was off the couch in a flash and flying down the hall. He nearly tripped over something on his way, and he only slightly registered that it was her top. Then, as he entered the room, he nearly fell over what he realized were her shorts. Looking up, Kiba gaped as his eyes landed on Sakura lying on her bed in all her naked glory.

Again, he was struck by how beautiful the girl was. But now, he could see her in a completely new way. She lay on the bed looking at him eyes alight with passion, and he could _smell _her. The girl's arousal hit him like a truck, but he needed more, so he stalked toward the bed in an attempt to fill his nose more fully with her.

Sakura's eyes glinted as her lips formed a pout. When he looked at her about to ask what was wrong, she reached up and flicked the headband that covered his brow. Oh, yeah, he still had his clothes on. It only took a moment for them to work together to get him naked, and once he was finally without coverings, Sakura had to stop for a moment to marvel at the man before her.

She had realized days before that he did not have the bulk that she had originally thought, but now she actually _knew _what lay beneath all of that clothing. The boy was toned, of course being a shinobi, and he had very few scars. The one major blemish that he acquired from a loose kunai during a mission to retrieve a rogue ninja, ran the length of his right side, and Sakura was struck with the memory of the fact that, due to lack of training, she had not been able to heal him without scarring. Just as she was about to lean forward to kiss the tortured looking skin, the girl noticed a curving red mark that wound around his left thigh. So, he did have markings elsewhere.

Smirking in a very cat-like manner, Sakura leaned toward the boy and ran her tongue along the red skin. Kiba's hips involuntarily jerked and he nearly collapsed to the floor. But he righted himself by threading his hands into Sakura's hair and pulling her up for a kiss. This kiss was full of fire and intensity, and Sakura couldn't help running her hands over Kiba's thighs and along his hips, getting closer and closer to his ever-hardening erection. He gasped harder with every pass that she made over his clan marking, and his eyes began to roll back into his head.

Finally frustrated with Sakura's teasing, Kiba released her hair and pushed her back onto the bed with a small growl. He left her mouth to place kisses along the parts of her chest that he had not been able to reach due to previous clothing and began molding a breast in one hand. He latched onto the other with his mouth, and as his teeth scraped the sensitive nipple, Sakura whimpered softly. Both buds hardened instantly, and the dog-nin was flooded with the scent of her renewed arousal. He had worked his knee in between her legs, and the attention to her breasts had caused her heated center to dampen his thigh.

After a few moments of listening to the girl's soft sighs from the attention he was giving her chest, he decided that he wanted to really _hear _her enjoyment, so he slid his hand down the flat of her stomach and along the curve of her hip. Sakura tensed slightly as she realized where his hand was going, but she relaxed at his soft caress over the damp hair covering her center. Before she had the chance to tense again, Kiba ran his finger along the flesh of her slit and into the center of her core. The pink-haired girl's breath hitched at the sensations his calloused hand caused as he rocked his forefinger in and out of her while rubbing her nerve center with his thumb.

It was too much. He was too good with his hands, and his mouth on her breast then her neck then her lips was too delicious. And Sakura wanted to cause these sensations in him too. She just wasn't sure how. Even after she had learned how dominating Gaara was and how much of a pervert Kakashi really was, she didn't know if she had the confidence to take control of Kiba's pleasure. With every sound that she made, he matched it with a groan of his own, and he really did sound like he was purring at this point. And the vibrations he was sending through her nearly drove her crazy. It just felt so good. So, Sakura decided that she needed to show him how good he was making her feel.

Pulling Kiba back up to her, she drew him in to kiss him breathless. This caused him to have to pull his finger out of her body, and he actually whined at the prospect. After releasing her boy from their millionth kiss of the evening, Sakura pulled him down on top of her, and with an added boost of chakra she flipped them to where she was straddling his body. The boy looked absolutely confused, and as he was about to protest, the girl pulled his hands down to his sides and pinned them by the wrists. A look of astonishment and fear crossed his eyes briefly, and Sakura leaned in to whisper away his doubts.

"Don't worry, Kitten." She kissed his ear, and he relaxed under her touch. "You'll like this. I promise."

Replacing her own hands with the weight of her knees, Sakura concentrated chakra to where they met his wrists. Effectively keeping the boy in place. Then, with a swift movement, and pink-hair whipping slightly, the woman raised her body and after a small adjustment, impaled herself on his hardness. Kiba gasped at the feeling of her heat as it engulfed his flesh, and he was surrounded by her scent as she spiked once again. Slowly, as if not quite sure what to do, Sakura set a sluggish pace as she began to rock up and down on top of Kiba.

The boy was taken by complete surprise. He had not expected her to take control so thoroughly, but he _loved _it. She felt so sweet riding his shaft at her own speed, and he enjoyed that he could look up at her in her most intimate moment. Sakura really was an angel. Her lips were parted in a constant sigh of pleasure, and the light sheen of sweat now covering her, which had been caused from a mixture of both the room's temperature and their own body heat, was adding a sweet tang to her scent. The only thing he didn't like was that she would not let him touch her.

Lying back, watching his girl please herself was so arousing that Kiba was finding it more and more difficult to hold onto his sanity. She wouldn't even let him wrap his hands around her thighs in order to slow her movements so that he could keep up with her. And, now she had begun to bear down on him even more, and her rhythm had become almost desperate. She was getting close, but he knew he still couldn't hold on. Just as the boy was about to protest vocally, he realized that he could move his hands. She must be losing control over her chakra the nearer she gets to climaxing. Hmmm...he needed to remember that.

As Sakura let out another lusty moan, Kiba reached up and wrapped his arms around her body. This caught the girl off guard, and she stopped rocking all together for a split second. This gave the dog-boy enough time to turn the tables and flip them to where she was on her back. Sakura squeaked in surprised and protest, but his growl quieted her sharply. Kiba then kissed her lightly on the lips and moved down her body. He ghosted more kisses across her skin along the way encouraging goosebumps wherever his lips touched.

Then he arrived at his destination. The spot between her legs was covered by a light pink down, and Kiba couldn't resist flicking out his tongue to lap at the wetness there. Sakura gasped softly as she realized his mission. Slowly he reached into the heated area and pulled her apart for better access.

"Oh..god..Ki-ba," came her broken moans as he plunged his tongue inside of her. Could this girl taste any better? He nearly came as he was covered by both her scent and her flavor, and he had to stop a moment to calm himself. She was so sweet. Not the tangy flavor that he had found with other girls, but a genuine sweetness. At the lady's protesting whimper, he resumed lapping up her delicious juices until he could sense that she was very near her orgasm. Her scent spike was almost colorful in itself, it was so strong.

Finally, getting her to a point that he could work with, Kiba raised himself to a kneeling position and wrapped his hands around the girl's hips. She screamed in delight as he thrust himself back inside of her, and her orgasm wrapped itself around him in just a few pumps. Her body and mind found themselves flying over a cliff that they had been approaching all evening, and she lapsed into a free fall that took several minutes to recover from.

When Sakura finally landed, she felt Kiba's erratic thrusts as he sought his own release. She pushed her hips up and matched him thrust for thrust while contracting her inner muscles, and soon he was keening her name as he pounded out his climax.

After the boy came down from his ecstasy, he leaned over Sakura to rest his brow against hers, careful not to crush her with his weight. He rubbed circles on the places where his fingers had dug into her hips, and hoped that he had not bruised her. The two remained like that for a long while as they worked to catch their breaths. Finally, he kissed the tip of her nose, and rolled off of her onto his back.

"Pink, you really do taste great."

As if they had not just finished the most intimate act any couple could perform, Sakura blushed deeply. She moved to pull a sheet across her body, but Kiba stopped her.

"Hold on, we need to clean you up first." And with that, he hopped from the bed and walked into the bathroom. Sakura gawked after him, not completely sure what he had planned.


	19. Aftermath

**A/N: Ah, so another long chapter. I realized that I ended the previous chapter in a weird place, so this is kind of a continuation. Warning for light fluffyness. And thanks again to my reviewers and readers. Love, ya'll.**

**Oh, and to _earthbender068_: If you reread the last chapter, you'll see that the scarf remains intact. I'm not quite ready for that hotness, yet.**

**Not of the owning type here.**

She blinked a few times trying to clear the orgasm-induced fog from her brain. What the hell was he doing? Then Sakura heard running water, and she raised her head to listen toward the bathroom. It wasn't the shower; no, it was the sink. Not really sure about Kiba's plans, she let her tired head fall back onto the pillow.

Lying there completely sated in a way that she had never been before, Sakura thought about pulling a sheet across her body. She should try to be a little modest, right? But she was just too exhausted to try.

Sure, she had had great sex before. Seriously, she had slept with Gaara who used his sand as an extra appendage. There was nothing like having your entire body stroked lightly by soft sand as a powerful force thrust into you. But, he had never really been all that worried about pleasing her. That was typical dominance behavior; she was just there to satisfy him and nothing more. That had been much of the reason why she had ended their relationship. He took, but would not give. Or could not...

Then, there was the great copy-nin himself. That man could bring you to orgasm with the lightest of touches, but that usually involved his Sharingan and trying out new positions from his Icha books. Role-play was cool and all, but some of that stuff had been down-right scary. And, he sure wasn't about to try any romance. She was there for him to get his rocks off then leave. Of course, that _had been_ the entire premise of their relationship. Good thing he was such a coward and ran.

So, the sensations running through her body at this exact moment had her wondering what truck had run over her. Her body was completely loose and relaxed. So, this was what it was like to be satisfied by a lover? Could get used to this...

As Sakura was just about to doze off with an awkwardly goofy grin on her face, Kiba came back into the room. She would have been instantly horny again had she not been so tired. He was still divinely naked as he swaggered back into the bedroom, but his hands were full. One was tousling through his wet hair with a towel, as the other held a bundle of cloth to his chest. Sakura licked her lips as she watched little droplets of water move from his hair to stream down his shoulders and arms. Ah, so that's what the sound had been; he had run his head under the sink faucet. Approaching Sakura, the dog-nin sat on the bed next to her. He reached out a hand to pull her into a sitting position.

"Now, now, you can't sleep like this," he said tenderly as he pulled a wet cloth from the bundle now sitting beside him on the bed.

The cool of the cloth was nearly painful on her super-heated skin. The girl's body was soaked in sweat from their activities as well as the extremely high evening temperatures. The sudden cold made her gasp softly, and Kiba shushed her soothingly.

"You'll never be able to sleep soundly covered in all of this sweat," he explained as he ran the wet towel across her forehead and cheeks. He then moved to run it over her shoulders and chest and down her arms. Sakura was slightly embarrassed when he raised both of her arms to catch the perspiration in her armpits as well as cleaning in the crease under her breasts. All the while, Kiba didn't act as if it bothered him in the least. He then pulled her into a hug so that he could rub the cloth under the hair along her nape then down her back.

After focusing on her upper body, the brunette lay his pink-haired lover back down with a kiss and proceeded to grab for another wet cloth. With this towel, he skimmed up one leg then down the other. And, much to Sakura's dismay, he parted her thighs enough to dip in and clean the fluids off of her legs and womanhood. But, he didn't stay in that area for too long, only wiping away the worst. He then looked along the full length of her body, and smiled at the questioning look in her eyes.

"Well, I'm not ready to completely lose _our _scent, yet. This way, I can smell us while I sleep," he said by way of explanation. Sakura nodded dumbly, and as Kiba cleaned the towels from the bed so that he could settle in next to her, she couldn't decide if that was the most erotic or disturbing thing she had ever felt in her life. Too bad she was too tired to debate the subject any further.

With one last fleeting thought of how her Inner self was going to kill her in the morning, Sakura settled back into the heat of the man who had returned from his mission just to see her. Thinking about how much trouble she was in, but not really caring, Sakura fell asleep.

A few hours later, Sakura's eyed flitted open as her alarm went off telling her it was time to train with Sai. She was confused when her body felt heavy, so she looked down to see a pair of arms wrapped possessively around her body.

"Pink, why don't you skip training today and stay in bed with me," his breath brushed across her ear in the most inviting way. Kiba knew that she wouldn't do it, but it was worth a try anyway. And, unknown to him, Sakura very nearly relented at the promise of what his words held.

"Sorry, Kitten, but there's no rest for the wicked." She stood and pulled a full body stretch. "Besides, I have to meet with someone who needs a good ass-kicking for her lying face." Kiba looked up at her through sleep laden lashes and was glad that he would not be on the receiving end of this anger. She had just woken up, and she was already tumultuous. This would certainly not do.

In an attempt to calm her raging anger, Kiba lept up and caught her arms as she was just about to wrap her bindings around her chest. Kissing her deeply, he reached to her temples in an attempt to recreate the calming effect that her actions had previously had on him.

"It isn't the same without healing chakra flow," she sighed. Then she grabbed his hands as he dropped them, defeated in his attempt to placate her anger. She brought the palms to her lips and kissed them. "Thanks, though."

Then, as she finished getting ready, the girl told him, "Stay as long as you like, and sleep. You need it, especially after just returning from a mission." Kissing him lightly, she grabbed her kunai pouch and was out the door.

"Yeah, right." Kiba thought bitterly to himself. He needed to get home and speak to his mother. There were only two people who knew about his mission, and he needed to know why they had told Sakura. The poor girl had been so sad and angry over the possibility over him being with another woman, but he could not let himself be pleased with that fact. This had only fueled his belief that his mother and the Hokage were scheming something. He just wasn't quite sure about what.

So, after a few moments of quiet contemplation over what he would say to his mother, the Inuzuka heir slowly gathered up his clothes. While dressing, he mused over what had occurred the night before, and he was awestruck at what had happened. He very nearly pinched himself to be sure that he was actually in Sakura's apartment. And that he had slept there after a glorious night of loving her. Slowly, it dawned on him that he would never be able to get her out of his head. That girl's smell was burnt into him forever, and he knew that it wasn't just because her fragrance was currently a part of him. _He loved her._

Several minutes later, Kiba let himself into his house as quietly as a dog-nin could. He was shocked to see his mother sitting up at the kitchen table. Was she waiting for him? She hadn't done that in years. Surely it was too early for her to be moving around, since she didn't have a mission that day. He looked at her, a question forming on his lips.

Tsume raised her hand in a gesture that commanded him stay quiet. Yup, she was pissed.

"I hope that you are taking your search for a wife seriously, boy." She spoke softly, sternly. Kiba stiffened. Shit, she could smell what he had done with Sakura. "If you don't plan on marking her, I hope Haruno-san is worth what you stand to sacrifice."

The Inuzuka heir glared at his mother. How did she know that he had been with Sakura? And, what the hell was she talking about? As if sensing her son's need for clarification, Tsume stood and stalked toward him.

"You need to keep your body under control right now, boy. The only woman you need to be fucking is the one you have decided to mark. Is that clear?" She spat the question in his face as she stood nose-to-nose with her son.

Realization dawned on the boy as he processed what she had said. She thought that he had been out whoring instead of finding a mate. But, she was wrong.

The young man looked away from his mother as he whispered, "You're wrong."

"Am I?" she asked backing away a step at her son's blatant submission. He had always challenged her at times like this, but at this moment he was showing her severe weakness. Suddenly, Tsume knew what had happened. Haruno Sakura had caused her son to fall in love with her. And Tsume knew from her dealings with the Hokage that the girl would not be his. Yes, the Inuzuka matron and Tsunade had been planning on driving the two together, but it had become clear to Tsume that Sakura was not ready to be bonded with someone for life.

Of course, she had read Sakura's profile, and had been wary of her emotional instability. But the Hokage had assured her that the girl would come around. But, with the confused look in her son's eye, and the fact that he reeked of sex without happily announcing that he had found his bride, Tsume knew that the boy was on the road to heartbreak. Her initial decision to explain to her son what she and Tsunade had been up to as well as telling him that she did not think Sakura was the right woman for him, after all, fell to the wayside. She was enveloped in the sheer desire to protect her offspring from being hurt. This caused her to lash out in anger..unfortunately at him.

"Whatever you have with Haruno must end." She stated a little too harshly.

Kiba looked sharply at his mother, and opened his mouth to reply. But the woman held her hand up for silence once again.

"I have decided that she is not the right kunoichi to help you lead our clan. She is weak-willed and controlled by her emotions. Those are poor qualities in a kunoichi, and even worse in the wife of a clan leader. Now, you will resume your one-on-one missions with other kunoichi in order to find a mate. And, you will choose soon."

The boy could not believe what he had just heard. He was being told that Sakura was not suitable for the position of his wife, and that he had to pick someone else. What was more was that this had all been an elaborate scheme to find an appropriate mate. Apparently, the irony that he had found Sakura on one of these 'special' missions, was completely lost on his mother. But the woman gave him no chance to argue. She merely turned and left the room.

Kiba squeezed his hand into a hard fist, and his nails dug into his palm to the point of blood. He was royally fucked.

* * *

After her training session with Sai, Sakura could not stop beaming. She had been loose and relaxed so much so that she had successfully hurdled every obstacle the artist had sent her way. He had even commented that she should continue whatever activity it was that had centered her so well. Sakura had blushed at the thought of a repeat of the previous night's fun, and she hoped that Sai was oblivious to her awkwardness. He only smiled at her fakely before saying goodbye.

Now, the girl found herself in no hurry to meet with her mentor in order to spoil her excitement with anger, so she sought out another blond for discussion. Upon entering the Yamanakas' flower shop, Sakura found her rival working diligently at not falling asleep at the counter. And try as she might, the girl was failing miserably.

"Hard at work, I see," Sakura spoke loudly, startling the poor woman who was attempting to stifle a yawn.

"Hey, Forehead, what brings you here?" Ino was obviously happy to have someone to talk to at this early hour.

"I just thought we could stop by the cafe to get some caffeine." Sakura stood with hands behind her back trying to play the perfect angel. But Ino eyed her suspiciously.

"You..want me to skip out on work to go to a cafe and gossip with you...Oh, this has got to be good." And with a yell over her shoulder to let her parents know that she was leaving, Ino grabbed her friend's hand and ran through the door.

Seconds later, the girls were sitting in a booth at their favorite tea house ordering their favorite drinks. Once the waitress was off to get their refreshments, Ino focused on Sakura. The girl was positively drooling at the prospect of new gossip.

"Spill."

Sakura shrugged at her friend's antics. "What do you mean? I just wanted to see my best friend and enjoy some hot tea." The pink-haired lady slumped back in her chair awaiting the soothing heat of her tea.

Ino stared at her friend incredulously. Then, after watching the woman who was sitting in blissful solitude for a short moment, an idea sparked in her blond brain.

"You had mind-blowing sex last night." Sakura's eyes shot open and she floundered. How could Ino know what had happened? As if anticipating the question, the other woman spoke.

"Forehead, you're glowing." Then her grin curled to new heights. "So, who was it? Kakashi?"

Sakura shuddered and nearly gagged at the memory of how he had accosted her a few nights before.

"No, and I'm not telling who it was." The pink woman crossed her arms as if this ended the conversation. Ino was thoughtfully silent as the waitress set their orders before them. Sakura sipped her hot drink and sighed as the warmth spread throughout her aching body.

"I knew it wasn't that pervert, anyways. You never looked so...satisfied after a night with him." Sakura nearly choked on her tea as she laughed.

"Well, all he ever wanted me to do was use a transformation technique so that I looked like you," she giggled.

Ino spluttered in quite an unladylike manner, and looked as though she might vomit. "Are you serious?" Her voice screeched loud enough to draw glares from other patrons.

"No, Pig, he just wanted me to look like the girls in those stupid books of his," she laughed again at her friend's outburst. "However, he did want me to transform into Tsunade-shishou once..."

"Are you kidding me," came Ino's shocked cry, and they were once again glared at by other customers. Apparently they didn't want to be disturbed this early in the morning. "You didn't..."

It was Sakura's turned to gasp in dismay, though hers was mocking. She would have asked, too. She shook her head, not able to speak for her laughs.

"Good, cause that's gross. She's, like, fifty or something." Ino pulled a disgusted face.

"But she doesn't look it," Sakura reminded.

"But she still is." And Sakura had to secede on that notion. No matter how young her shishou looked, she was actually an old lady. Not that the girl would ever risk telling her mentor that to her face.

And, as Ino changed the subject to her romance with a certain Akamichi, Sakura sighed in relief. She had been able to lure Ino away from the topic of who she had slept with last night. She wasn't really sure why she didn't want to tell Ino, but she just couldn't let her secret out yet. Maybe it was because she hadn't sorted out her own feelings yet.

_Ya think_. Came the retort from her Inner voice. Okay, so that was the reason. Well, she still had plenty of time to think on it... later. So, she turned her attention to the woman in front of her, and tried to enjoy the rest of the morning.


	20. Ouch

**A/N: It's me again. I hope this finds you well. Just one comment about the length of my chapters. I have tried to make them longer, but it just doesn't work. I stop when I come to an appropriate spot. Plus, if the chapters are longer, then the story will end sooner. We don't want that, do we? Anyways, on with the show. Thanks to my readers and reviewers.**

**Not mine.**

After spending the morning chatting with Ino, Sakura was not really in the mindset to have an angry discussion with her teacher. The fact that the woman had lied to her pissed her off to no end. But what really confused the girl was the question as to why Tsunade had gone to such lengths to spark her anger. Was she trying to get Kiba or that other girl seriously injured? Alas, Sakura needed to get to the bottom of her mistress's meddling so that she could handle whatever results would come of it. The girl sighed; now she knew how Shikamaru felt. This was such a bother.

Hence, she found herself mustering any anger she could as she walked into the Hokage's office. The pink-haired kunoichi ignored Shizune's cry that she needed to wait until she was announced and just entered unbidden. It really didn't matter to Sakura if the village's strongest shinobi was in a meeting or not; she needed to get this over with...now.

"Ah, Sakura, come in," Tsunade answered from behind her usual stacks of paperwork. Knowing that all was well, Shizune backed out of the door with a bow. Sakura was surprised, to say the least, at the welcome.

"Umm...Shishou," she faltered for a moment before being cut off.

"Sakura, I believe I owe you an apology." Tsunade cut straight to the point, motioning for the girl to sit. And Sakura did just that, not accustomed to what she had just heard. The Hokage was not the kind of person to throw out idle apologies, so this must be important.

The older woman stood from her desk and made her way to the window. This was not going to go well, but it needed to be done. This morning's visitor had made it known that their plans had not had their desired affect, and it was now time to do some serious damage control.

"Sakura, it has come to my attention that you have formed a relationship with Inuzuka Kiba. Am I correct?" Sakura stiffened at this. How did she know? Ooh, if Kiba was out there bragging about what they had done, she was going to kill him. As if reading her mind, Tsunade explained further.

"I have an inside source who has kept me very informed on the boy's activities." Then she forged ahead. This was not going to be received well at all. "You do realize that that boy has clan obligations that he should be focusing on with every ounce of his being. And, that if you do not plan on being part of those obligations, you are keeping him from fulfilling his duties."

Sakura blinked. She didn't know what her master was saying. How could she hinder Kiba's clan obligation? Then it clicked, and her eyes widened. Tsunade nodded, and her voice softened.

"This is where I tell you I'm sorry. I was involved in putting you two together because I thought you would be a suitable match. Tsume believed so as well. But, I didn't realize that you still would not be ready for this. I also didn't expect him to get so emotionally attached so quickly. I mean, usually you're the one attached early on." Sakura rolled her eyes at this.

She looked into her lap at her hands gathering her thoughts. Then she locked eyes with her teacher. "What do I do?"

"If you do not want to see him suffer at the loss of his way of life as well as his canine companion, you either need to let him mark you or call it off. If you end your relationship now, he will still have time to choose someone else before his birthday." Sakura fingered the scarf around her neck thoughtfully. Then she stood and bowed to the Hokage.

"I understand."

Shizune found her way into the office after the young kunoichi had left, and found her mistress in a tempestuous frame of mind. She didn't need to ask how the meeting had gone; it was clearly written on the blond's face.

"What will she do?" The brunette asked. She knew the answer, anyone who was close to Sakura would know, but she needed confirmation.

"If she's smart, she'll dump him first. Tsume will have her way, no matter what happens. I just wish that Sakura hadn't allowed herself to fall so hard," Tsunade's voice carried a hard edge.

"But she always gets so attached. Why is it so different this time?"

"Because it's real this time. But she's not ready for it. Finding someone who would love her back would be a shock to that girl's system, and she is not ready for what that relationship entails. She would be inheriting a whole mess of problems, as opposed to the typical psycho mother-in-law." The Hokage slumped into to her chair and prepared to resume her daily duties. "I just need to find her a really good mission to get her mind off of things. Maybe get her out of the village for a while so that she can get her head straight."

"And so that you won't have to deal with her depression. Of which you have been a causing factor."

"I know, I know," she sighed waving her assistant away. This was really not a good situation all around. If only, Tsume had come to her yesterday. They could have stopped this whole thing.

Tsunade still had no idea what was running through the Inuzuka woman's mind. It had been her idea to make Sakura jealous, and that had worked to their advantage. But, when Tsume had barged into the office bright and early this morning, seething with anger, the Hokage could only endure as the crazed woman ranted. Apparently, Kiba had stayed the night at Sakura's, and Tsunade knew all-to-well what that implied. But Tsume was not happy about it, like the Hokage would have expected. No, she was pissed.

Upon questioning, Tsume explained that at time like this, Kiba should not be intimate with anyone unless he planned on marking her. When the blond had asked if the boy was aware of this, his mother waved the comment of. It didn't matter if he knew that or not, he should be focused on finding a wife, not on getting laid randomly. Then, she further explained that upon seeing her pup that morning, she knew that he loved the girl. But, he had not told her that he wanted to make her his.

Tsunade had nodded in acknowledgement at this. So, the two had been intimate but were not planning on making it serious. Hence, a major issue for the Inuzukas. Sakura had only just recovered from a major blow to her ego, and she was in no way ready to move on. That had become painfully obvious to Tsunade when she had heard about the girl's attack on Kakashi. Of course he had deserved it, but it proved that she was still vulnerable and way too defensive. And, if Kiba's thoughts revolved around her, he would never find a wife in time, and he would sacrifice everything.

The Inuzuka boy was loyal to a fault, and he would stay by Sakura's side. The girl would be the same way, but the clan just could not wait for her to sort herself out. And Kiba did not need the added pressure of losing everything he cared about just for a girl. So, the two women had decided that they needed to put an end to this fiasco, and hoped that the damage would not be too permanent. Of course, Sakura's new-found confidence would shatter, but the Hokage could only hope that the girl would heal with the help of her friends. That, and a lot of busy-work to keep her mind off of things.

* * *

Sakura sat in her living room alone. She couldn't think straight. What was she supposed to do?

_She's right, you know, _came Inner Sakura's annoying voice.

_What do you mean?_

_You know that you can't be what he needs right now. You're not ready for that kind of responsibility._

_Says you._

_Think, girl. Kiba needs someone who has her act together. Someone who can make decisions without feeling guilty about them after. You still can't do that. _Her Inner had a point. Sakura was still learning how to be firm in her choices.

_So, what do I do now?_

_Blow him off, then get angry. Be mad at the whole world, and don't take shit from anybody. _Sakura sighed to herself. Maybe this really was for the best. Really, what would she have done if Kiba would have asked to mark her last night? Let him do it, and regret it today? Tell him no? She had no idea.

_That's exactly what I mean. You don't know what you want, yet. _Oooh, she was getting tired of hearing that. Well, maybe it was a good thing that her own mind was the one saying it this time. Maybe, she finally knew what everyone else was telling her. She had no idea who she really was.

_Time to find out, huh_?

Just then a soft knock sounded at her door. At her call, it opened, and in walked a very disgruntled looking Kiba. Sakura wasn't sure about the emotions that were crossing his face because he refused to look her in the eye. Oh, no. She knew what this meant. It had already happened to her so many times.

Kiba stared at the floor. He knew what he needed to do, but he just couldn't find the words. The poor girl had such rotten luck, and all she wanted was for someone to love her. And, he did just that. But he had thought hard about his mother's words, and he knew that Sakura would not be able to accept him in time. So, he just needed to put a stop to this once and for all. Mustering up his courage, her opened his mouth to speak, but she started first.

"Kiba, I think that you should leave." He looked at her, astonished at her blatant rejection. He stared, not moving. This seemed to agitate her, and her scent went from sadness and frustration to that of total anger.

"Whatever you think is going on between us, isn't. You just need to leave, and forget what happened last night." Her voice had gained a sharp edge, and Kiba felt like she was cutting him for real. At his continued refusal to move, the girl's eyes flashed dangerously. She slammed her fist down on the coffee table, causing a crack to run down the middle.

"Don't you get it? I can't give you what you need. So, just leave. Before I make you." He started at the obvious threat and turned to leave. Not having said a word. Too shocked that she had done exactly what he had come there to do to be angry at her words. He only hoped that she didn't hate him too much.

As he closed the door behind him, the dog-nin smelled her utter depression mixed with the salty scent of tears. He ran his hands through his hair cursing himself, his clan, and his mother. It took everything he had to walk away, but he did just that.

About an hour later, Sakura was roused from her sob-induced slumber by a knock at the door. She jerked her head up with a start, and wiped the drool from her cheek. She had face-planted onto the coffee table, and her back ached from sleeping in a weird half sitting position. Recognizing the sound of someone pounding on her door, she jumped up to answer.

_Maybe he came back._ She thought hopefully.

_God, you are so stupid. We don't want him to come back, remember. _Oh, yeah. She halted halfway across the room. It would be for the best if she didn't see Kiba for awhile. Just until she could get her broken heart pieced back into the semblance of a working organ. She was interrupted in her thoughts by another knock. This one was more urgent.

She pulled the door open to see a messenger from the Hokage. The young genin stepped back and sucked his breath in sharply.

"Haruno-san, are you okay? Your face is all swollen, and your eyes are puffy. You look like you've been in a fight."

The girl's hands flew to her face which certainly did feel like she had taken one too many punches. Great, not only were her thoughts in shambles, but so was her face. Man, this sucked.

"Umm...Aki-san, did you need something?"

"Oh, the Hoakge needs you to come to her office. It's urgent, so she wants you there now." And with a slight wave, the boy was off to finish delivering his messages.

Oh, just great. She was a disaster, and now she had an emergency meeting with her mentor. Well, all she could do was rush into her room to change clothes and heal as much of the swollen tissue on her face as possible. Within moments, the skin was healed satisfactorily enough. She still looked a wreck, but not enough to raise too many eyebrows. Now, it was time to get to Tsunade's office.

Just a few minutes had passed before the girl reached the building that housed her teacher's office. It had taken her no time to get there since she had traveled by way of rooftop at top speed. The girl mused lightly at why she didn't travel that way more often; it was just so...refreshing.

Entering the Hokage's sanctuary pulled her right out her lightness as the blond village leader was not alone. On one side of the room stood Team Kakashi. The team leader was leaned idly against the window reading his book, Sai was crouched by his leader's feet drawing boredly, and Sasuke was standing a little ways away leaned against the wall brooding quietly. Her quick glance caught Kakashi's slight wave, Sai's fake smile, and Sasuke's blatant attempt to ignore her. Then, she heard Naruto's hello and whipped her head toward the other side of the room to see him standing with Shino and Hinata. But, she barely had time to register that Kiba was missing before her attention was drawn to the person who was conversing quietly with her boss. Gaara?

"Ah, Sakura, come in." This was the second time today she had received that exact welcome from the same woman. Tsunade motioned her to stand next to where the Kazekage was seated. Sakura barely acknowledge the man with a nod as she stared at her mistress. "It'll be a minute before I brief you on what is going on. We're awaiting one more person." Sakura cringed, she knew exactly who that was. She didn't even need to look back at the door when he entered.

Kiba walked into the office with Akamaru in tow, not really sure what to expect. He had been summoned to an emergency meeting, which only meant an important mission. As he entered the room, though, he was nearly knocked down by Sakura's malevolent aura. The slight allure of their combined fragrance was washed over with pure hostility. As he made his way to stand next to his teammates, he realized the girl's problem. Sasuke, Kakashi, Gaara, and now himself, all in the same room. Probably on a mission together. He wanted to do nothing more than pull her into his arms and run away from this situation, but he knew she wouldn't accept. So, he just settled against the wall and breathed in her scent while watching the girl's stiff back.

God hated her. She was standing in the middle of a room with _all_ of the men who had hurt her, they had all broken her heart. And she just _knew _that she would be stuck on some sort of mission with them. And as if reading her thoughts, the Hokage spoke.

"I have a mission for you all. It is one of dire importance."

"My wife has been kidnapped," came the red-head's soft confession. All eyes turned to him, not really sure as to what they had just heard.

"WHAAAAT?" Questioned Sakura and Naruto at the same time.

"You're married?" The fox-boy was dumbstruck.

**A/N: No coming to my home to kill me. All will end well, I promise. Come on, I couldn't make it too easy for them, could I?**


	21. Waiting

**A/N: Ha, ha..Angst, angst, and more angst!! Don't hate me, cause you can't get enough!! So, thanks for your support, and enjoy this new chapter. Oh, and the end is in sight, I think. So, give me suggestions on a possible sequel. I may have the notion to write one.**

**Not mine.**

Gaara very nearly sweat-dropped. Sakura sighed and blew the air through her bangs. Tsunade slapped her forehead. Everyone else collectively groaned.

"Naruto, you idiot. That's not important right now," Sakura reprimanded as she walked to her friend and bonked him on the head.

The future-hokage rubbed the swollen spot on his noggin and glared at the pink-haired woman.

"I just can't believe he got married and didn't tell me," the boy sulked as Hinata approached him in effort to console her boyfriend.

"We kept it quiet so that something like this wouldn't happen." The Kazekage did his version of a shrug. Tsunade decided to reign in the idle chatter and get this meeting back on track. She commanded silence from the room.

"As you've already heard, the Kazekage's wife has been kidnapped. He has approached the Hidden Leaf Village for assistance in reclaiming her." She eyed all of the shinobi in the room. "Now that I have your attention, I will let Gaara-san explain the situation."

Not looking at the group that surrounded him, the sand-shinobi illustrated his story. It seemed that this was an attempt to get at him through a loved one. They waited until the two were married, and then stole the girl away the next day. Their ransom note had stated that they wanted an ungodly amount of money that no one would be able to come up with, and they expected that money within days or they would kill the Lady Hotaru and her maids. By the time the tale was told, Sakura and Hinata both had tears in their eyes.

Naruto had wrapped his arms around his girl by way of comforting her. Kiba looked from the two lovers across the room to the pink-haired beauty who he wanted to console. She just stood near her mentor's desk with one hand to her mouth as if trying to hold in a horrified gasp. She leaned against the Kazekage's chair with one hand on the back, but her former lover did nothing to soothe her.

Sakura had rested her hand near Gaara's head in an effort to show him that she was there for him. She knew that he would not respond to physical acts of comfort, but he did respond to one's presence. All she needed to do was be near him; that was enough to show him that she would support him in any way necessary. Sakura supposed that this was why he had come to Konoha for assistance in such a dire moment. Leaf Shinobi had always been there for him when he needed them, even when his own village had failed him. That was why he had tried so hard to keep the alliance between the two villages. He needed them as much as he needed his own siblings. Though none of the others in the room could know this, the exception being Tsunade and possibly Kakashi, they were part of a very valuable support group to a man who had never thought he could rely on others.

Kiba sensed a slight change in Sakura. She had been full of turmoil and desperation, but now she was covering those scents with that of determination. There was even a little pity and love in there. Her heartbeat even changed from speedy and jumbled to steady and soft. He knew it, she still loved the Kazekage. There was no way he could compete with a shinobi of that caliber. Maybe it had been for the best that she had dumped him. The dog-nin slipped into a moment of self-pity, and nearly missed the Hokage's explanation of their mission. Akamaru nipped his hand lightly to gain the boy's attention just in time.

"So, here's what I expect. Team Kakashi and Team Kurenai will work collectively in assisting Gaara-san and Kankorou in finding the Lady Hotaru. Shino, you will act as team leader, and Sakura will join your team as your fourth member. Shino, Hinata, and Kiba, you are the best tracking-nin this village has, and we will need you to find Kankorou's trail." The three nodded their affirmative. "Sakura, we will need you if there are any injuries, and since you are without a team, you will join Shino's for the time-being." The girl nodded. Okay, she got it. It's not like being on a team with Kiba would kill her. Of course being on a mission with Gaara, Kakashi, Sasuke, _and_ Kiba just might. "Now, Kakashi will coordinate the particulars of this mission with the Kazekage. So, are there any questions?"

"When do we leave," Sakura's voice came out like stone. She was already pulling on her chakra gloves, and cracked the knuckles on one hand to prove that she was ready. Naruto, who was just about to ask that same question gawked at the girl as if she'd just grown another forehead. That was his line, dammit.

Gaara stood and swept past everyone. "I will meet you at the gates in an hour."

Sakura was just about to follow him out. She needed to get home quickly to make sure she had all of her supplies. With the group that was going on this mission, it was very likely that there would be horrid injuries. Her old team had a knack for turning the simplest of missions into total death matches. Plus, Gaara had the tendency of going overboard when he got riled up. And, she had heard a thing or two about how Shino and Kiba could get in the heat of battle. She took in a large breath and let it out slowly; this was going to be a disaster. That's when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She tensed at the unwelcome touch.

"It's just me, Sakura," came Sai's soft voice. He had mistaken her faraway, thoughtful look as one of sadness. The others were filing from the room deep in thought of what they needed to gather for preparations. "Are you sure you can deal with this?"

"With what... Gaara?" He nodded.

"Isn't it awkward that you, his ex-lover, will be assisting in the rescue of his wife?"

Sakura shrugged the artist's hand away. "No, not really. She's nice... And, besides, he's not the one that I'm really that worried about right now." This last sentence came out distractedly as she wandered in the direction of the door. Sai looked after her with his head to the side, deep in thought.

"What's her deal now?" Questioned Sasuke.

"Are you really that dense?" This time, it was Kakashi. He had walked up behind his teammates in order to give them some suggestions on what provisions to bring along. "That girl has so many issues with men right now, and she is about to be stuck on a mission with at least three of whom who have ruined her life in some way or another." After that night at the hospital, Kakashi had seen the cherry blossom in a new light. And he had been forced to admit that she really did have rotten taste in men. She seemed to always fall for the guys who were broken, and who she stupidly thought she could fix. Of course, it wasn't all her fault. In his own case, he had to acknowledge, he was just a bastard.

"So, you guys should get packed. We can't have the Kazekage waiting any longer than necessary. Who knows what those assholes are doing to those girls." With that, he disappeared with a puff of smoke, and the other two shinobi were left wondering what had gotten into him. Little did they know that his near death at Sakura's hands, erm...knee, had changed him. Well, when it came to her anyways.

An hour later found Sakura sitting beside the village's gates. The girl, of course, had gotten there before anyone else. She had rushed home and gathered her supplies, placed them in her hip-pouch and various pockets of her vest. Then, after checking the state of her face and adjusting her forehead protector, the kunoichi had dashed to their meeting place. Thankfully, the swelling had gone down, and she no longer looked like she had gone ten rounds with the heavy weight champion of the world. No doubt, she could have held her own in that fight, but that didn't really matter.

So, when Hinata and Naruto showed up hand-in-hand, the girl tried her best to ignore there blatant PDA. But, as was always with Naruto, he couldn't do anything subtly. And though Hinata was nothing but bright red blushes, he insisted on kissing her senseless every five seconds. Sakura stood in a huff and stormed to the other side of the gates.

"I hope you get that out of your system, now. You can't do that on a mission." She tossed them a pout-filled glare from her new position. Hinata covered her face with an embarrassed 'eep', and Naruto stood to rail at his best friend. Thankfully, Shino showed up at exactly that time. And, of course he had Kiba and Akamaru in tow. Sakura turned her back, glowering.

Naruto was surprised at the girl's sudden coldness, and he opened his mouth to ask what was her problem now, when he saw her throw an angry look at the dog-nin. Kiba just continued his conversation and did his best to ignore the girl. Naruto raised his hand to question the girl but thought better of it. He moved his hand to rub the back of his neck. He was thoroughly confused as to why Sakura would be glaring at Kiba like that. They didn't know each other that well, did they? What could he have done to piss her off?

Kiba noticed the girl's anger, alright. But he damned sure wasn't going to acknowledge it. _She _was the one who had dumped him, and it was probably over Gaara. So what if he had gone to her house to do the same thing? Who cared that _she_ had beaten him to the punch? It still bugged him that _she_ was so mad at him. Especially since _she_ was the one who wanted someone else so badly. So, he decided to be as professional as he could. He would completely ignore her.

Akamaru, on the other hand was a traitor. The great white dog walked up to the girl who was sitting with her arms crossed in front of her and was scowling at a weed near her feet. Giving a small whine, he butted her shoulder so that she had to catch ahold of him to keep from toppling backward. The girl righted herself and sighed as she reached up to stroke the dog's nose. He nuzzled her hand and let out small whine. Then, he meaningfully glanced toward Kiba. She looked up and caught the Inuzuka's eye for a moment, but quickly dropped her gaze.

Shit. She had just shown him weakness by diverting her eyes. Her hand flew to the yellow scarf around her neck. Remembering some of the things that she had read about the habits of canines, Sakura knew that she should have held his gaze until he looked away. But, no, she had to submit so easily. That, and she didn't know if she could handle any sort of intensity in those golden pools.

_You are such an idiot,_ came her Inner self with yet another disgusted sigh.

_Now what? _Sakura snorted at herself, drawing a questioning look from Akamaru and Naruto. She just waved them off.

_Either you hate him or you love him. You can't do both. Would you just get your shit together, stupid?_

The pink-haired girl stood, suddenly, startling the others who were waiting with her.

"Where the hell are those idiots? We need to get moving, NOW." Of course, they could go nowhere until the Kazekage was there to lead them to where he had broken off from Kankorou when the puppet master had set off to follow the kidnappers while the Kazekage had gone to recruit reinforcements. The others decided that this would perhaps not be the best time to remind Sakura of this, and even Naruto kept his mouth shut. Better to let Sakura work out her own problems than to meddle and get your ass royally kicked. So, they resigned themselves to watch the girl as she paced back and forth waiting for the rest of their team.

They did not have to wait for much longer. Shortly, Sasuke and Sai wandered up to the group as if they had not a care in the world, and as if the others had not been standing there for nearly fifteen minutes awaiting them. Kakashi walked up and offered his usual 'Yo' and hand wave, his nose planted firmly in the last edition of the Icha books. It seemed he read this one constantly. Of course, when Jiraiya had died, so had the Icha book series, and Kakashi seemed to be unwilling to finish this last book. Either that, or it was just so perverted that the copy-nin had to reread it constantly.

So, even the perennially late Kakashi was there, but Gaara had not shown himself. They were going to rescue his wife, you'd think he'd be the first one at the gates impatiently anticipating getting started. Then, on cue, he popped into the fray in a swirl of sand. Sakura raised her hand to cover her face from the flying particles. She _hated _when he did that. It seemed as if he got some sort of sick amusement in covering everyone with his sand, so he performed his transportation technique at random intervals. Why had he done it now?

Brooking no inquiries into his tardiness, the Kazekage swept beyond the gates and flew into the nearest tree.

"Let's go." He said without looking at the others, and without hesitation, they were off.


	22. Rescue

**A/N: Okay, okay. Consider me fully reprimanded for the last chapter and its angst. How about a little action? Hmmm...Hope you like this one!! Thanks to my reviewers and readers!! Oh, and I'm still thinking of possibly a sequel and possibly a few one shots. I do believe that you all have created a monster by supporting this fic so well. Anyways, loves.**

**Totally don't own Naruto. Well, except for the super cool action figure that has Ninja Kick and Kunai Slicing action!!**

_How the hell do I always end up in these situations? _Sakura thought to herself as she tightened her chakra gloves.

_I don't know. Maybe 'cause somewhere deep down, you really are a shinobi. A kick ass kunoichi at that. _Inner Sakura shouted while fisting her hands.

Sakura shook her head at her Inner voice's antics. She looked across the ravine toward her target. This really was a foolish plan, and she had a gut feeling that it wasn't going to work. And, if she had learned anything from Kakashi, it had been to trust her instincts. But, this was the only thing that they could come up with in a short time, so it had to happen.

When the group of nine had converged upon the location of where Gaara had separated from his brother, it had only taken moments for Akamaru and Kiba both to find the puppet-master's scent. Soon enough they were speeding through the forest that skirted along the border between Fire and Wind country. So, the kidnappers had hoped that the Kazekage would not follow into another Kage's territory? They obviously had no idea about the man's relationship with Konoha. Hmph...should have done more recon. They obviously had no idea who they were dealing with. This thought brought a bitter smile to the woman's lips.

It had taken them only an hour or so to reach their hiding spot which turned out to be a series of caves that were etched into the cliff near the middle of a ravine. A raging river coursed through the bottom of the ravine, and there were little to no footholds for climbing. Would have been a great hiding place if they had been up against amateurs. Not elite shinobi from both Suna and Konoha.

Hinata activated her Byakugan and located the exact cave in which the kidnappers were hidden. It was connected at the rear with a tunnel system that ran deep into the earth, and the shinobi realized that it might take days to find an indirect route to where the captives were. On this side, the only thing that was keeping them from the women was a boulder with a sealing technique. At this, Sakura had rolled her eyes. Where had she seen this before? Were all rogue ninja this unimaginative? She would have to ask Sasuke about this some time.

So, of course, Sakura had offered to break down the boulder with her super-human strength. It should be simple enough. The seal wasn't nearly as strong as the one that the Akatsuki had used when they had taken Gaara. The only problem was that there was no way for the girl to get clear of the falling debris when she crushed the boulder. That was when Kankorou had offered to attach chakra strings to her so that he could pull her to safety once the boulder was crumbling. It was then that Sakura had hesitated. This was way too familiar to her.

Her gut had begun telling her that this whole thing was a mistake at that point. She had done this before; breaking sealed boulders and being pulled around by chakra strings at the whim of a puppet ninja. And she had very nearly died in that last encounter. They all had. Sakura, Kakashi, and Naruto. And Gaara _had_ died, only to be revived by the sacrifice of another kunoichi.

Chiyo. The grandmother of the man who had create Kankorou's puppets. Tsunade's most fierce rival. Mistress of both puppets and poisons. The most selfless person that the younger kunoichi had ever met. In order to make way for a new world without war, she had given her life so that the Kazekage could live.

The man in question had looked at her, and she nearly fainted. He looked...lost. Sakura knew that he understood her hesitation. Many of her most important people nearly died that day when they had come to rescue him, but she also knew that he desperately needed to get to Hotaru. There was no question as to what the girl would do. She put a hand on his shoulder and spoke.

"We'll save her. I promise." Her former team all looked at one another. Sakura never made promises when it came to missions. She had always lectured Naruto on his constant promising to save people. One never knew how a mission would go, so a ninja should _never _make promises. There was always too much at stake to even consider it. But Naruto had proved her wrong time and again. This never stopped her lectures, though. He could fail during any one of his missions, and then what would he be? A lying shinobi with no honor because he had broken his promise. And since Sakura had just gone against her own philosophy, they knew that she would do _everything_ in her power for the hostages.

Gaara nodded, then moved to go over the last of the plans with Kankorou and Kakashi. They needed everything to be perfect for this to work. That, and just plain dumb luck. Sakura had been left to her thoughts. And they were stormy and full of worry. She felt a heavy hand on her own shoulder. The woman closed her eyes and willed herself not to flinch. _Kiba_.

"Don't worry so much, Sakura. We'll get in there and finish those guys off easy." He sounded his usual cocky self, and, if Naruto had been in hearing range, he would have vehemently agreed. Only, he wished he felt the way he sounded. Kiba had a million thoughts running through his brain. He didn't want the girl to risk her life for another man's happiness, but he knew that she was the only one capable of breaking through that boulder. The dog-nin also wanted to do nothing more than wrap her in his arms and tell her how much he loved her, but she had stuck close to Gaara all day.

Even though his own thoughts were spiralling wildly, he had become aware of the girl's own turmoil. She was confident in her abilities, but she was scared to death about something. Her scent reeked of fear, and Kiba had realized that it was not for herself but for her comrades. She must really be worried about their plan. That was why he had decided to break through her coldness in order to try to comfort her. He was pleasantly surprised when she didn't shrug his hand away from her shoulder. Nor punch him into next week for touching her.

He felt her hand cover his on her shoulder and give a light squeeze. The pink-haired kunoichi looked up to him with her best Sai-like fake smile and spoke.

"I know that we can do this. I just want to get in there to start kicking some ass." Naruto had come up behind the two and was pulled out of his fleeting thoughts about how close his two friends were. Sakura had stolen another one of his lines!! Dammit, again. The rest of the group moved up and made their last-minute planning. A few minutes later, the teams broke up and moved into their positions.

Sakura stood by the edge of the cliff waiting, Kankorou at her side. They both watched Hinata who was eyeing the cliffs with her Byakugan.

"There are four hostages and six kidnappers." She then explained the location of all of the enemy shinobi. One stood on the other side of the boulder. Two stood at the entrance of the cave a few feet in, and two more were guarding the women. The final man had disappeared into the rear of the cave; most likely to scout for an escape route. The man near the front would probably be taken down by Sakura's hit, and the rest would be dealt with easily by the rescue team. The final man, they would have to search out and kill. This task was left to Naruto and Sasuke, while the others would secure the cave and assist the women.

"Okay, they are all in position, and the women are all against the farthest wall of the cave. They will not be harmed by our initial attack." Hinata's voice floated across the air. Sakura nodded and turned her back to Kankorou. Within seconds, he had chakra strings attached to the girl's back, arms, and legs. The woman took a deep breath and jumped across the ravine to the small ledge that marked the entrance to the cave system.

"I'll need someone to catch her when I pull," came the puppet master's command, and Kiba was by his side before anyone else had moved.

"I'll do it." Kankorou nodded and everyone stood at the ready watching the young version of the Godaime as she readied herself for her task.

They saw a light greenish glow as the woman concentrated chakra into her fist. She placed her hand into the middle of the boulder in order to center her punch, then she pulled back and unleashed the most ferocious battle cry any of them had ever heard. The cry was drowned out a split second later when she made contact with the stone and it splintered into a million pieces. Then, before the girl could even draw a breath, she was hurtling through the air at an alarming rate. But, before she could panic at the fact that she had no control over where or how she would land, Sakura was engulfed in a warm embrace.

Kiba wrapped his arms tightly around the shocked girl, as she reached out for anything to stop her momentum. When she realized that she had come to a stop, the med-nin clung to the boy as a lifeline. Frantically, the woman tried to right herself and get her bearings, and it took a moment to notice who it was that held her upright. He smelled and felt so familiar, and Sakura nearly forgot that they were on a mission. She wanted to get lost in his embrace and forget the world. That rush across the ravine had scared the shit out of her.

The dog-nin responded in kind and wrapped himself around her tighter. The smell of her relief and the automatic slowing of her heart made him want to kiss her terribly. And, damn did she feel good.

As Sakura took a moment to straighten herself out with the help of the Inuzuka, Shino moved into action. Before the dust from the destruction of the boulder had even cleared, the insect-wrangler had sent his bugs into the fray. They swarmed the two men at the entrance of the cave before they could warn their comrades, and the Konoha ninja were able to dispose of them just as easily as they had thought.

The team then made their way into the cave to face the remaining two before Naruto and Sasuke began their assigned task. One of the enemy shinobi used shadow clones to fight them, and they did not find out until later that this was a decoy so that the other enemy ninja could escape to warn his leader. Upon defeating the man and his clones, the fox-boy and Sharingan-user went in search of their quarry.

Sakura and Kiba entered the cave after she had stopped to examine the man whom she had killed with her attack as well as the one killed by Shino's insects and the one taken out by Hinata's Gentle Fist technique. Inside the cave, the Haruno went into instant medic mode. She began moving around the room using her chakra to heal any wounds on the hostages. Thankfully, most of them were minor scrapes, but she did have to spend some extra time on one who had a broken wrist. Apparently, this girl had been mouthy and had gotten herself hurt by way of punishment.

At the sight of her husband, Lady Hotaru had thrown herself into his arms. The moment was very touching to those who had never seen Gaara act remotely caring in the least. But, to a certain pink-haired woman, it only reminded her of what she had lost. She shook her head. It would not do to get depressed about her own shortcomings when there were injuries to tend to. So she had broken the two apart in order to inspect the Kazekage's wife for injuries. Once she had the black-haired princess fully checked out, the med-nin had moved on to the next patient. And much to her surprise, Hotaru had followed her.

After being questioned with a raised pink brow, the Lady had replied that she had always been interested in the medical field, and that she wanted to help her rescuers as much as possible. Well, it couldn't hurt to have an assistant, so Sakura had complied with the woman's request. And the princess had turned out to be a decent nurse after all. She followed directions well, and never questioned Sakura's orders. Of course this was probably just in her nature, since she _was_ married to one of the most powerful and dominating males in the world.

When they had finished with the girl with the broken arm, the two healers moved to look at their friends. No one had obtained any serious injury, but Sakura wanted to check on their well-being anyways. That was until the world blew apart around them.

The women had been near the junction of the back and side walls of the cave, and they were suddenly thrown into the rear wall with a ground-shaking explosion. Hotaru was knocked unconscious in the blast, and Sakura moved to cover the woman with her own body. But she didn't make it as she felt a blow to her head. She was hoisted over a shoulder and very faintly saw that Hotaru had been treated the same way. Sakura almost passed out from the force of the hit, but she was able to stay awake. But only just. She couldn't move her body to fight the kidnapper off, nor could she move to heal the wound to her head.

Then, as she was being carried down some dark tunnel away from her teammates, Sakura held onto one lucid thought. She couldn't be weak again. She needed to get out of this on her own. She couldn't rely on the guys to save her because who knew how long it would take for them to realize that they were gone.

Before she lost consciousness altogether, Kiba's face crossed her thoughts, and she suddenly was reminded of something. His sense of _smell_. If only she could leave him a way to track her. That's when the girl reached out to her arm which hung limply beside her face, and _bit _down on the tender flesh. Her last memory was thinking that he would smell her blood and come to find her.

As Sakura and Hotaru were being spirited off by the two missing rogue-ninja, the Konoha and Suna shinobi were digging themselves out of rubble. They helped the captured women out of the rubble as well.

"What the fuck was that," came Kankorou's question.

"Umm...Where is the Lady Hotaru?" One of the maids cried. Gaara's eyes flashed as he ran to where his wife had been standing before the explosion. Just then, a breeze sifted its way through the new opening; it came from somewhere down the nearest tunnel. And it carried a very familiar scent.

"SAKURA!!" Everyone heard Kiba's bellow as he and Akamaru darted into the tunnel. They were flying down the corridor with Gaara close behind.

"I smell Sakura's blood." He threw over his shoulder. "They must have planned this as a way to keep at least one of the girls for ransom." The Kazekage only nodded. He knew that his wife was in the same place as Sakura, and that Kiba would find them. Then, there would be hell to pay.


	23. Blood Scent

**A/N: Oh happiness, another chapter!! My Monday wasn't so bad this week, so I hope this chapter still turned out okay. Anyways, enjoy it. I can't wait for the reviews about this specific chapter. It's totally not what most people expected!! Enjoy. And thanks to my readers and reviewers.**

**Still don't own these guys.**

At the sudden disappearance of several teammates, the remaining members looked around at one another. Kakashi sighed lightly. Leave it to Kiba to just take off rashly in order to save a friend. But, he would have never expected Gaara to do so. Of course, love changed people, right? He decided that it was right for him to never love another person; it was too difficult to always think of the well-being of others as well as sacrifice yourself for them. He absolutely refused to think about the fact that he was so willing to risk everything for his team. That was not love, it was duty...yeah.

"Well...I guess we should get these ladies out of here." He said aloud, then in response to Hinata's fearful look. "Don't worry about the others. Kiba and Gaara are perfectly capable." He thought for just a moment. "Perhaps, Sai and I will search for them after we have moved the women to safety."

This seemed to give the girl some relief and her body visibly loosened. Shino even seemed to release tension at the sound of sending backup. Kakashi wondered if they feared for their teammates or the enemies. A pissed off Gaara with an angry Inuzuka in tow would be a force to reckon with.

Moving the hostages to the safety of the far side of the ravine took a few minutes because the ladies were reluctant to trust the new shinobi. However, at the reassurance of the Kazekage's brother, they allowed themselves to be carried across the jagged expanse. Upon making sure that the women were secure, Kakashi left orders for Shino and Hinata to watch over their wards along with Kankorou. They were to also take turns watching the tunnel system from the rear of the cave until Naruto and Sasuke showed back up. The two boys were to then use the nin-dog left by Kakashi to find he and Sai. As he left, the silver-haired man called up two of his hounds. He deposited one to watch with the rest of the team, and he sent Pakkun to follow Sakura's scent.

"Ah, I wish it were her shampoo that I smelled, and not her blood," remarked the little dog as he led his companions down the first corridor.

While her friends were setting their plans, Sakura was rousing out of her state of unconsciousness. She blinked and tried to raise her head to gauge her location. Where was she? How long had she been out? By the looks of things, they were still in the tunnels, so she must have only been asleep for a few moments. Unless they had traveled deeper into the tunnel system. Who knew how long she had been out of commission? It was then that the pink-haired medic remembered what had happened, and she winced at the pain at the back of her skull. Focusing chakra was out of the question with even the slightest of head injuries, and she could also feel pain from the bite mark to her arm as well as cuts and scrapes from being rubbed against the walls of the tunnels as her captors made their hasty escape.

_Never should have bitten myself_. Sakura thought to herself. She could have just as easily called out for help.

_Yeah, especially since you could barely form a lucid thought. Plus, you know that Dog-boy will catch your scent and come find you. _Her Inner self had a point. They were on the same team, and Kiba would do anything to help a teammate. All she could do was hope that he would get to them on time.

So, Sakura resigned herself to trying not to vomit from being jostled so much. But she felt a flutter of anxiety when she saw that the air surrounding them was lightening. It was beginning to smell fresher, too. If the damned mutt didn't get there soon, she would have to figure out a way to stop these guys. If they got out into the open, there would be no telling where they would go. And, the longer she waited the less likely it would be that anyone could pick up the trail. She would have to rely on the team of trackers that had been her partners. Hopefully, it wouldn't get that far, though. But, she also knew that she was in no shape to fight.

"Why is this taking so long?" Gaara asked flatly. They had been running full speed through what looked like the same tunnel for several minutes.

"I've got the scent, but I can't seem to get closer. They're traveling really fast, even carrying the girls." Kiba shot back, exasperated at the Kazekage's impatience and coolness in the situation. The Inuzuka was near frantic, and he wasn't even Sakura's boyfriend. He didn't know how he would have been had he been married to her. Of course that was probably the reasoning for Gaara's inability to wait. Everyone knew that the man hated waiting, but he very rarely let his impatience show. Just like every other emotion. He must really love this girl to show such unnatural emotion...well, for him anyways.

"I see light ahead. And her smell is stronger," came Akamaru's voice from beside him. "It seems that they must have stopped." This was all too true.

As the rogue ninja slowed upon entering the daylight, Sakura's head throbbed to the point of near fainting. She bit her lip and willed the blackness to ebb and kept her rolling stomach in check. The man carrying Hotaru had moved up to the top of the rise in the terrain to look out across the ravine. They had moved south by several hundred feet and could only barely see where the other Leaf shinobi sat across the rift. The man had chuckled to himself thinking of how easy this would actually be. They would sneak past those Konoha brats easily and still get their ransom for the Kazekage's wife. Too bad he couldn't keep the pink-haired one for himself. She promised to be a fun toy to break. Alas, he needed to ransom her too. But, if she was really a shinobi, she would kill herself first, which would be such a waste. He was pulled out of his thoughts by a shout from his comrade.

Sakura had realized that she needed to do something...fast. There was no way that her team would get there on time, and she had to get free to protect Hotaru. That was when she _moved _out of pure instinct. The woman had lashed out both arms and locked them around her captor's legs. She braced herself for the fall, and he called out to his leader as he fell face first with Sakura on top of him. Both were standing in a flash, but for some reason the girl had been faster. She had moved behind the man while fumbling in the weapon pouch at her thigh. The rogue ninja had no chance to make another sound as his life blood gushed from the slash across his throat onto Sakura's arms, his front, and the ground. The girl looked up to the other man as she let her would-be captor fall to the ground.

As this happened, Kiba, Gaara, and Akamaru nearly blundered onto the scene. However, at the last second, they hid themselves behind the stack of boulders that marked the opening of the cave system. All three were stunned at the sight which lay before them.

Sakura, looking like a goddess of death, was standing over one of the enemy shinobi's body covered in his blood. A breeze came up from the river that flowed several hundred feet below them, circled the girl, and sent her hair flying around her body. The breeze carried the woman's scent to her would- be lover, and he knew that she was in her true element. She was not fearful, just really, really pissed. At this one moment Sakura looked both deadly beautiful and serenely dangerous, and Kiba chalked this up to another reason why he loved her so much. She was just so beautiful, even covered in the blood of a man whom she had just assassinated.

Before the pink-haired woman could move from her spot, the leader of the enemy nin hoisted a still unconscious Hotaru over the edge of the cliff by her throat. The red-head tensed visibly, and Kiba leaned over to him. He was forming a plan.

"Don't come any closer, Kunoichi," the rogue-nin ground out. Sakura did not step forward, but she raised her kunai and brandished it in his direction.

"Put her down, and fight me," came Sakura's stern voice. She reached up to try to heal her head wound again, but found that she still could not concentrate her chakra. So, now it was the stalling game. She spat at the ground. "How dare you take advantage of someone who can't fight for themselves just to try to get money?"

"You're just stalling me, aren't you? Hoping that your team will come and save the day, huh?" The man's mouth opened into a smug grin. "Pink hair, green eyes, soft body. I'll bet your true skills have nothing to do with being a shinboi, huh, girl?" He positively leered at her. Sakura could not contain the shudder that traveled her body, but she raised her head and moved her kunai into a more menacing position. The sun glinted off its reddened blade.

"Let's just see about that," Sakura stated voice low as a blade of pain shot through her skull. Her knees buckled and she almost hit the ground. Just great, here she was not able to protect herself again. And Hotaru would surely be injured because of her ineptitude. The woman gritted her teeth against the pain. No, she would save the other woman no matter what. Looking at the man, once again, she said flatly, "Fight me, you bastard."

The man's laughter rung out as he took the chance to, once again admonish her stupidity, but Kiba had had enough. He was not going to let this guy knock his girl down anymore. It was time to end this. He looked at the Kazekage who had not taken his eyes from the dangling figure that was his wife.

"Gaara-sama, can you reach her in time if he were to let go," Kiba whispered his question. The Kazekage nodded without even looking toward the other man, and his sand began to flow silently from the gourd on its master's back. It moved slowly along the perimeter of the clearing, just beyond the enemy's peripheral. Kiba nodded back. "Right. I'll take care of the asshole, and you save your wife." He then turned to his faithful companion. "Akamaru, go to Sakura." He was already changing into his Beast Mimicry form, and the dog just nodded.

Sakura listened to the man laugh at her, yet again. This was getting her nowhere, but she couldn't do anything unless the idiot moved away from the edge of the cliff. Any attack on him now would put Hotaru at risk. That was when she felt the flash of an unidentified chakra field. Shit, there was another one behind her. The woman whipped around to face her attacker and lost her balance as her vision blurred with another shot of pain from the injury at the back of her head. But, just as the med-nin hit the ground and felt a shift in the air, she was enveloped by a white form.

"Stay down," came Akamaru's firm voice, and for once, the girl didn't argue. She only ducked her head further when she realized that the movement in the air was caused by a certain dog-boy, and she knew that this was about to get a whole lot messier.

Precisely then, Kiba's Piercing Fang attack was unleashed and he went flying across the expanse of the clearing. But, instead of using the movement of the cyclone to rip everything to shreds, the boy stopped in front of the frightened ninja. The rogue, being faced with a very angry dog-nin who was sporting some pretty fierce looking fangs and claws, immediately released his captive to beg for his life. Just as the girl was surrounded by her husband's sand and pulled away to safety, the Inuzuka heir dove at his enemy ripping and tearing at the flesh of the man's throat and chest. It only took a short moment for the boy to feel fully satisfied that his quarry was dead.

And, as he finished with his dirty business, Kiba heard Akamaru's warning whine. The boy turned sharply, his fierce beast-slitted eyes bleeding back into molten gold, and he ran to where the woman he loved lay, covered in the blood of their enemy. He threw one look at their comrade who spared a glance toward his ex-lover before whisking his wife away to a place where she could be healed. When he approached Sakura's side, the girl had her eyes closed, and Kiba feared that she had passed out.

"Sakura, can you hear me?" He asked urgently. Her eyes fluttered open, but she seemed to have trouble focusing.

"She has a terrible head wound," spoke Akamaru from his place beneath the girl. He had placed her to where she was nearly laying on top of him, in order to give her as much comfort as possible.

The medic shifted and tried to rise as she spoke, "Hotaru, is she okay?" Kiba pulled the woman into his lap and rested her head against his chest. He rumbled soothingly against her shoulder.

"She's fine, the Kazekage is with her." But Sakura would not be quieted, and she continued to fight the man holding her so close. "Sakura, you have a head injury, and you may have a concussion, amongst other things. You need to lie still."

As if on cue, a haziness filled the woman's sight, and she had to fight to keep from falling asleep. There was silence for a moment before she could feel Kiba's breath lightly across her face. He had shifted her so that he could look into her eyes.

"Sakura..." he started to try to rouse her again.

"Don't," the girl whispered, but he heard her clearly.

"What's wrong, Sakura?"

"Please, call me Pink," she tried to smile brightly, but the moment was lost when her eyes slammed shut as her vision swam. She held on for another few seconds, but finally succumbed to the blackness that promised to take away the pain.

"We need to get her back to Konoha...now." Kiba heard Akamaru say.

Just as the girl lost her fight with darkness, two of their teammates came running out of the cave entrance. They were astonished by the sight that they beheld. This was a battle zone. There were two bodies lying dead on the ground and blood everywhere. Right in the middle was a touching scene of a man holding an unconscious woman lovingly with his canine companion watching silently to the side. But all sentimentality was lost due to the amount of blood that covered the ground, the lovers, and the dog. Then, realization struck that this was Kiba and Sakura, and that Sakura was not moving. The two feared the worst.

When, the boy noticed Kakashi and Sai walking up behind him, he spoke quietly as if not to disturb the deathly still woman that he held.

"She is hurt pretty badly, and I don't know if she'll survive the trip back to Konoha." Kakashi noticed the terrible gaping injury at the back of her skull and wracked his brain for a way to save his former lover.

"Doesn't Sakura carry transportation scrolls in her vest," mused Sai out loud.

"Sai, you're a genius," Kakashi replied as he squatted next to his bloody comrades. He fished in the front pockets of the woman's vest and soon pulled out a small scroll. He then brushed his finger across the bite mark on the girl's arm in attempt to collect a small amount of her blood. He opened the scroll and spread the drop of crimson across the runes that covered it.

"Now, all you have to do is speak the words of the seal, and this will transport you directly to Konoha Hospital's emergency room." Kiba nodded and read the words aloud. Then, in a flurry of cherry blossom petals, the two were gone.


	24. Submission

**A/N: So, I got 15 reviews about the last chapter alone. How cool is that!! I am so happy that everyone responded to the imagery of that chapter so well. It is definitely my second favorite chapter. Chapter 24, this one, would be my fave. Anyways, I've been waiting to write this chapter, so it's long and lemon-flavored. So enjoy. And no, this is not quite the end, yet.**

**Don't own this couple.**

_I really blew it this time,_ Sakura thought to herself as she contemplated opening her eyes.

_I swear, you are such an idiot, _Inner Sakura rubbed the sore spot on her head as if the act of thinking offended it.

_What do you mean?_

_You killed that bastard that nearly killed us._

_But, I couldn't rescue Hotaru. I failed again. _Sakura nearly started crying in her almost sleep.

_You know she's still alive, and who cares if you needed help. I know that's what this is about. Your team backed you up. End of story. _Inner Sakura crossed her arms and glared at herself. This self-pity thing was really such a pain.

"Sakura, I know you're awake," she almost flinched at the voice. "Open your eyes, so I can examine you properly." At her mentor's firm command, the pink-haired woman slowly blinked her way into awareness. The hospital room was dark, and she was thankful. Light would have killed her eyes, and she vaguely realized that this was an effect of the massive head wound that she had received.

The girl looked around the room and saw that the Hokage was the only other person there. Her shoulders slumped as if she had expected someone else to be there waiting for her to wake.

"You know, he has hardly left your side, since he brought you here," Tsunade spoke as if she knew something.

Sakura looked up quickly, completely unable to conceal her pain at the sudden movement of her head or the pink tinge to her cheeks. "Who?"

Her mentor laughed quietly at her student's predicament, but she placed a hand on the girl's nape to help soothe some of the ache. It seemed that the girl still felt some pain, and it was no wonder why.

The hospital had been thrown into a state of confusion when Kiba had popped into the center of the emergency room by way of transportation scroll. Seeing one of their own covered in blood and sporting a gaping hole in her cranium had all of the med-nin in turmoil. None of them had trusted themselves to heal her properly, so they had summoned the Hokage. And, when the blond had burst onto the scene, she nearly killed three of them for not contacting her sooner. This was _Sakura_, they should have summoned her first and foremost.

The girl had been very close to suffering a brain hemorrhage, and her skull had been fractured. Why had they hit her so damned hard? It had taken Konoha's most famous medic hours to heal the Haruno's wounds, but she still didn't know the true state of the young woman's well-being. Sakura needed to be awake and aware so that she could be tested for side affects of the injury. And it had taken her three long days to come out of her coma. Tsunade, as well as Sakura's friends and teammates, had been frantic at her state. But, Kiba had been a disaster.

"Who do you think I'm talking about?" Her shishou crossed her arms and frowned at her student. "Kiba has not left your side until a few minutes ago. And that was only because he was threatened with bodily harm by his mother. It seems that the near-death of a friend will not earn him a reprieve from his duties." She watched the girl to gauge her reaction to this news.

And, as expected, the younger kunoichi stiffened, but the movement did not seem to cause her any pain. However, physical pain was not really what the blond was looking for. There it was, the pained look of someone who had had to let go of something she held dear. Tsunade knew this look and pain all-to-well, and she hated to see her favorite apprentice go through it as well. Time to step in, again.

"Sakura," she held the girl by the shoulders to make her point, "I want to know something, and you _have_ to be honest with me."

Confusion and suspicion flickered in the girl's eyes, but she nodded all the same. Surely the Hokage only wanted to know about how her brain felt, right? "Umm...what is it, Shishou?"

"Tell me how you really feel about Inuzuka Kiba." The girl flushed and stammered an incoherent answer. A passerby might have thought that she was still suffering from almost having her brain scrambled.

"He's a good friend." The girl lied. Tsunade sighed and pursed her lips together. This was going to be harder than she had thought.

"Listen, Sakura. I thought that I was doing right by you by stepping in and telling you to break things off with him." She stepped away from her patient and moved to the window peeking through the curtain into the unbearably warm day. "It's just that I had to let go of someone once, and it nearly killed me. I never forgave myself for not being there for him when he needed me..." She broke off reminiscing about times that many had forgotten. Times when a young blond med-kunoichi had been head-over-heels for a dark and sad snake-obsessed teammate.

"Shishou?" Sakura's voice broke the woman from her depressing thoughts. She glanced at the girl who was waiting patiently for her to finish.

"Tell me, do you love him?" She asked softly refocusing on something on the outside.

Sakura's head bowed and she was quiet for a very long time. The two stood silently for several minutes before the pink-haired one finally spoke.

"I think so...but, this time it's different. I feel physical pain when he's not near me. And, I barely know him. Is that what you want to know?" The second best med-nin in Konoha was flustered. Why had she just told her mistress that? The woman would surely just shake her head and treat her like anyone else. This _was _Sakura; you know, the girl who fell in love with anyone who paid attention to her. But, she hadn't lied. It really was different this time.

"I think you're right," came the elder's voice. Sakura's jaw dropped. "It feels that way because you do love him. Not just a simple girlish crush or physical attraction. Real, adult love." The patient shifted uncomfortably, not really knowing where her teacher was taking this. Suddenly, Tsunade switched gears completely.

"Okay, I think that's enough of this conversation. I'll discharge you now, so that you can go home and get some real rest in your own bed." The young lady let out a contented sigh as if she had already sunk into the comfort of her soft mattress. "But, I think you need to tell him how you feel." She opened the door to leave, but looked back over her shoulder, "And, be honest with yourself about it, too." The woman left the room with a quiet snap of the door.

Sakura stared after her sensei. What did she mean, be honest with herself?

Tsunade stopped at the nurse's station to fill out the discharge papers for her favorite student. She knew that she had just pushed Sakura in the right direction, she just hoped that the girl could handle the consequences. That was when she broke out into a laugh that had the nurses looking at her worriedly. That girl could handle anything with the Inuzuka boy's help. Tsunade just hoped to get to Tsume before anything bad could happen. If not, her student may be in for a mess.

Several blissful hours later, Sakura was enjoying a comfortable nap in her plush bed. Her head had stopped throbbing shortly after entering the apartment, and the girl had passed the pain off as a result of the garish sun that shone in the late August sky. Upon coming into the darkness of her living room, the pain had ebbed, so the woman did not feel the need to let anyone know. She was really tired of everyone worrying about her.

Within minutes, she had been bombarded with visitors. First, Naruto and Hinata, then Sai and Sasuke, then Kakashi. Ino had dragged Chouji and Shikamaru along, and Shino had even stopped by. While visiting with her guests and trying desperately not to lose her temper with their continued presence, the kunoichi had refused to think about the pain that was stabbing her chest at Kiba's extended absence. She had had to bite her tongue several times to keep from asking his team if he was gone on a 'mission'. Dwelling on her own predicament only made the girl irritable. Which she passed of as being tired from all of the activity after being in the hospital for the better part of a week. Finally, her friends filtered out of the apartment to allow the girl to sleep. And sleep was exactly what she did.

That is, until she was brought to by a light noise in the bedroom. The pink-haired shinobi whipped the shuriken that she had hidden under her pillow in the direction of the noise without even opening her eyes. Glass shattered.

"Oi, Pink, what the hell are you trying to do?" That voice was unmistakable. Her eyes flew open and she was greeted with the sight of the one person who she wanted to see the most as he moved to bend down to pick up the glass that her weapon had shattered. What was he doing here? What had he had in the cup? Oh, hell it didn't matter. He was here.

The woman flew from the bed and wrapped both arms and legs around the startled dog-nin. He had no choice but to straighten his form so that they would not go crashing down on top of the broken glass. Before he could even steady them before they toppled over, she was showering him with light kisses across his face and forehead protector.

"What's with you?" He laughed not really sure how to take his love's show of affection. Hadn't she broken his heart terribly just a few days ago? Of course, nearly dying tends to make one rethink their decisions. Did this mean..?

He finally got the girl under control as he dropped her bodily back onto the bed. Sakura looked at him thoughtfully as he sat down beside her.

"Just saying thanks for saving me," her eyes shone with brightness. But a dark thought flickered and her happiness abated. "God knows, I always need it." Kiba looked at her for a moment, his eyes dark as well.

"Do you even remember what happened?"

"Not much, I remember biting my arm to send out my scent, and then I remember waking up and thinking that I needed to do something to save Lady Hotaru. Then... nothing until I woke up in the hospital three days later." She stared at her hands which were fighting themselves in her lap. Kiba clicked his tongue in his teeth and sighed.

"Too bad, 'cause you were amazing." Sakura glanced up at him through her bangs looking at his profile and waiting for his laughter at her expense. It never came.

"What do you mean? I couldn't have done anything." He turned toward the woman and gripped her chin in his hand, pulling her face up so that their eyes met.

"You killed one of the bastards with a kunai to the throat, and you were ready to take on the second until you nearly passed out. And, that move with biting your arm to get your scent into the air...brilliant. You should have seen yourself. You were a warrior goddess, so strong and beautiful..." He was interrupted by her scoff.

"Sakura, " his voice was thick and firm, "I'm serious. Why do you always tear yourself down?"

"I don't..." She started to protest but quailed at his expression. She looked back down at her hands, "Sorry."

"I just don't understand why you're so hard on yourself." He pulled her up to see that lovely face again. "Pink, you amaze me." This time his voice was soft and intimate.

Then, before Sakura could react, he pulled her into his arms for a soft embrace. He hummed to her softly and soothingly, and the pink-haired woman could think of nowhere she would rather be. Maybe she should tell him how she really felt. Then, she would let him decide their fate as a couple. But, just as she was about to pull back to say something, he did just that. However, instead of speaking, he cupped her cheeks in his hands and pulled her into a sweet kiss.

This kiss was soft and unhurried, but still passionate. It was like he was telling her all that she needed to hear just from this one gesture. As the moment lingered, the kiss was deepened and finally had to end as it began to promise something far more seductive. Sakura leaned back slightly to catch her breath, panting and dizzy. But this dizziness was not from her wounded skull. This boy was just that intoxicating. Could one suffocate from kisses? She wondered if she could test this, but knew that these kisses could very well cause her death.

She stared into the dog-boy's eyes and wondered at what was held in those orbs. They had gone from worried and frantic to passionate and fiery. The woman gulped at the thought of what this might mean, but she did not hesitate to rejoin their lips when he moved in once again.

As they established a slow pace of kissing and pulling back for breath just to go back in for another kiss, Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck and began to run her hands through his hair. Of course, Kiba's hands were not idle, as he ran his fingers lightly along her bare arms and across her shoulders. It was almost as though he couldn't wait to get the light weight nightgown off of her, but he was restraining himself. Was he going to let her set the pace to their reunion?

And, just as that thought found its way into her mind, Sakura felt the Inuzuka tense as their kisses became deeper and more heated. She let out a soft sigh as his tongue slid into her mouth and search inside as if reacquainting itself. This brought a low growl deep in the boy's chest, and his hands slid across her still-covered chest in search of very sensitive flesh.

His hand flicked across her nipple, and Kiba could smell his girl's arousal. God, she would be the death of him just by her scent. But, it was different this time. The scent was heady and thick, but still amazing. Vaguely he thought that this was the scent of her feelings toward him. If he affected her so intensely now, what did that mean? He wasn't about to stop to ask though, especially since she had broken their kissing in order to run that succulent tongue along one of his cheek stripes.

Kiba's hand flexed around her breast, and she felt his claws prickle through the light fabric of her gown as her lick to his cheek elicited another growl. As she licked from the boy's cheek to his ear, then back, she reached behind his head to untie the Konoha headband that rested upon his brow. This rocked the boy for a moment, but, at least he now knew where this was going. Time to heat things up a bit.

With another low growl, the brunette grabbed the woman around the waist and picked her up from where she sat at the foot of the bed. With a light toss he pushed her up to where her pillows were scattered. He took advantage of her disorientation to pull his shirt over his head before joining her. Then he began showering kisses along the woman's neck and chest, but was once again hindered by a small scrap of fabric. He quirked a brow.

"Green? Where's the yellow one?" He questioned, and nearly giggled as Sakura struggled to grasp what he was talking about. Then realization dawned, and she flushed slightly agitated at his interruption.

"It was ruined by that rogue ninja's blood, and a little of my own. So I had to replace it," She said giving him a suspicious look. The boy merely shrugged and resumed his attack on her body as he went from feather light kisses to mapping hot trails with his tongue over every exposed piece of skin. Quickly, though he became impatient with the nightgown and hauled the female body up against him in order to remove the garment. Sakura took this opportunity to lay a few kisses of her own across the boy's shoulder and down an arm. Then, once she was properly declothed, except for her panties, Kiba resumed his affection toward her flesh.

The pink-haired girl flattened her palms across his shoulders, then began running her hands along his back and down his arms. She let a light moan escape her as he suckled one breast then the other. The rumors were right, Inuzukas could work _magic _with their mouths, and now every place that he touched positively burned. Plus, his hand was working magic as well as it caressed her in the most exquisite of places. Sakura pulled his other hand to her lips to kiss the palm, and, in a moment of wonderful wickedness, she pulled the middle finger into her mouth for a suck.

All Kiba could think about was showing her how much he cherished her. This girl was _it_, and he needed her so badly. And, now she was... sucking his finger? Her nearly stopped what he was doing to ask her about it, but decided that that would totally ruin the moment. And, he was rubbing her center over her panties, so he guessed that made them even. It was then that Kiba realized that the girl was nibbling lightly on his finger and that her scent had gotten deeper and heavier. It seemed that she couldn't handle being teased. Oh, well, who was he to keep her from what she really wanted?

And, she chose that moment to confirm his thoughts as she released his finger and pushed firmly on the boy's shoulders.

"Kitten, please..." She panted. Her eyes were full of need and want, and he could only comply with her wishes. In a flash the Inuzuka had lost the rest of his clothing, and he was soon pulling her panties down her slim legs. Just like a kid opening a Christmas present, Sakura mused as she watched her boy's face. He looked up at her and flashed a grin that had a fang slipping over a lip. He moved back up her body to kiss her thoroughly. And, just as the woman thought that she couldn't feel more loved, he held her tight as his hardness entered her warmth. She nearly cried out at the sensation of being filled to the brim.

And, when he began to move slowly in and out of her body, she did cry out at the flood of heat that filled her sensitive area. As he rocked her world, the boy never once stopped kissing her. Even as his breath became ragged and labored from both the exertion and the approach of release, he kissed her body. Her mouth, her face, her chest, her neck...Then he stopped.

Movement paused completely, and Sakura groaned at the loss of friction. She opened her eyes to see him looking at her throat. When he noticed the girl's questioning gaze, Kiba leaned down to nuzzle the scarf around her neck.

"Pink, please, can I..." he whispered as if afraid of her answer. The woman didn't hesitate. She put her hands on his chest and pushed him to where he was leaning back on his heels, and her core ached from the loss of his length. Sakura reached up and fingered the scarf, and the boy held his breath waiting for her rejection.

Pink hair was shifted around to cover her left shoulder, as the scarf was untied and pulled from its place at her neck. Kiba licked his lips in anticipation, as Sakura tilted her head to the side to further expose the flesh. Then she averted her eyes, awaiting his response. He reached out to touch the smooth skin, then pulled his hand back.

"Do you...does this mean..." He couldn't ask for fear of what she might think this meant. Her eyes flashed to his and she held his gaze for a long moment. Soon, though her face softened and she looked away once again. Her voice was feather light.

"I know what I'm doing. Make me yours, Kiba." He didn't move for a moment; he didn't breath. She was submitting to _him. _Not Gaara, not Kakashi, not _Sasuke_. But, him, Inuzuka Kiba. He grasped her chin and turned her head toward him. She could do nothing but look back at his eyes.

"If we do this, I just want one thing from you." Her eyes shifted with uncertainty. "Don't ever hide your eyes from me. Even as my mate, you will be my equal, so don't avert your eyes. If I can't see them, I can't know your thoughts." And with that he kissed her with more fire than she had ever witnessed. And, Kiba felt that fire build up as his instincts to claim her took over his body.

Suddenly, Sakura found herself with her back to the boy's chest as he placed her in his lap with her knees straddling his. He pulled her into the air by her waist and she was stabbed with his thickness, but instead of pain she felt nothing but pure lust. She frantically tried to set a pace for them in this new position, but he wouldn't allow it. With a growl and a nip on her shoulder, he told her that he was in control. She just needed to hang on for the ride. And ride she did as he bounced her up and down in his lap meeting her downward strokes with hard upward thrusts of his hips. She would definitely be sore in the morning...not that she minded.

After a few minutes, the erratic thrusting calmed, and Sakura felt Kiba's breath run along her neck and shoulder. He kissed her skin and flicked his tongue out to lap at the sweat that was running out from her hair line. He could smell the sweetness of her near peak, and thought that now was as good a time as any to do what he needed to. He nipped her skin lightly, and Sakura tensed at the feeling. Her body shivered involuntarily, and she wanted him to pick up speed again. Bucking her hips back against his, she tried to tell him just that. Kiba wasn't listening, he had other things on his mind.

The pink-haired girl screamed and tried to pull away as she felt the tips of his fangs dig into the flesh of her neck. Her nails dug into his thighs, and he barely registered the smell of the saltiness of her blood and tears. In an attempt to soothe her, he rocked into her softly, and she gasped at the combined sensations of pleasure and pain. It was then that he sent some of his chakra into the wounds at the tips of his fangs. The girl cried out again, but this time as she was pulled into a heart-wrenching release. Her scent spiked splendidly, and Kiba poured more chakra into her as he thrust into her body once again. Sakura screamed as her body convulsed with another orgasm. This time, the quake of her legs and internal muscles brought him to his own peak.

And, as he infused the last bit chakra into the girl's body, claiming her as his mate, Kiba could feel the girl's racing heart calm in his hands as he held her tightly across the chest and the belly. He pulled his fangs out of the girl's skin and kissed each wound before leaning up to whisper in her ear.

"I love you, Pink."


	25. Of Thoughts On The Future

**A/N: Ahhh, so many reviews. I love you guys. I can't believe the response to the previous two chapters. You guys are seriously awesome!! On with the new chapter!!**

**I do not own Naruto.**

Predawn in Konoha was the most peaceful time of day, no matter what the season. It was even better during the summer just because there was a slight reprieve in the unbearable heat that ravaged both day and night. The wee hours of the morning were just different from those of the rest of the day. They were so cool and calm and full of the promises of a new day. And, as the day slowly woke, so did Haruno Sakura.

She yawned and tried diligently not to stretch too widely, afraid to wake the body that rested next to her. Well, he wasn't really next to her, more like entwined with her. In the few hours that the two had slept, the boy had managed to pull her into a spooning position while wrapping both arms and a leg around her. It was as if he subconsciously feared that she would disappear from that place. The woman smiled softly as she ran her fingers lightly across one of the arms that held her so close. She heard a soft growl and he snuffled her hair before burying his nose into the spot where her neck and shoulder met. It was the same place where he had bitten her.

Sakura would have reached up to touch the spot, but knew that it was unnecessary. It had happened. She belonged to Kiba, and she was finally a part of something that wasn't self-destructive. Feeling her man's breath across the four small punctures brought back memories from their night together.

They had made the most romantic love that she had ever witnessed, and the primal act of being claimed as a mate had only added to the beauty of it. Then he had told her that he loved her. _Kiba_ had said it first, _not _Sakura. And that had scared her from the stupor of having just had her world rocked.

She had shot up off of his lap and turned to face him. The boy could see the fear and terror in her eyes before he even smelled it on her. The quickened heartbeat was another clue.

"Someone said that and didn't mean it, huh?" His eyes had darkened, and she wondered if he had taken her sudden jolt as some sort of rejection. Slowly the girl had nodded, sweat-drenched bangs falling into her eyes.

"Yeah," she had answered, looking down into her lap. She was on her knees as well, facing the man she loved so much. And the pain that reflected in his eyes almost made her sick. Someone had hurt him the same way. "And, what's worse is that I knew he was lying, but I just couldn't keep from falling for him anyways," she had whispered to her own hands. Then she felt his hands on her face, pulling her up to look at him.

"I told you, never look away from me," his voice was stern but soft, and Sakura had flinched as if she thought he might strike her. The boy had softened at her reaction and pulled her to him for an all-out hug.

"Oh...Pink...I'm not lying to you. I love you, and nothing else matters. Not anyone or anything else." He had then pushed her back to look into the emerald depths that were her eyes and pleaded, "please, let me heal you."

The pink-haired woman had only been able to nod for fear of breaking down as she pulled him into another tight embrace.

After, they had had their heart-to-heart, confirming their feelings for one another, the two had spent some time cuddled on the bed talking about what was next. Kiba let her know that they had a long road ahead of them, including clan meetings and ceremonies. And he had added that she would have to deal with his mother. The woman had scoffed at that. Why did _she _have to deal with Tsume? His reply had been that Sakura had three strikes against her: she had been claimed as Tsume's son's mate, she would have to prove that she was right for the role of Alpha female, and she was not an Inuzuka. The last was what he had been most worried about. Some members of the clan would not be happy about being led by a woman who was not kin.

This had given Sakura pause. What had she gotten herself into? Then, the man had pulled her close and kissed her crazy before telling her to sleep. _That _was what; a relationship with someone who supported her and whom she would support as well. He didn't seem to be bothered by clan politics, nor did Akamaru who had slept in the kitchen during their affirmation of their love.

When questioned about Akamaru's thoughts, Kiba had shushed her and said not to worry. He had said that the dog loved her as a mistress, and that they would both do what they could to prove to the council that Kiba had made the right decision. The woman had fallen to sleep with fearful thoughts of what it would mean if they failed, but his soft murmurs about how everything would work out calmed her from her fitful rest.

Thus, Sakura contemplated what had happened between them, and right there, lying in his arms, she decided that she would do whatever necessary to show the Inuzukas that she was right for Kiba. She would keep Akamaru alive, no matter what. Even if it meant challenging Inuzuka Tsume to a fight. Yeah right, like she could ever win that, but it may just come to that.

The girl sighed softly as she looked up at the clock on the night stand. The alarm would ring in just a few minutes. Well, might as well get up and moving. She took a deep breath through her nose...and froze. What was that? She took another long breath in through her nostrils and glanced around as well as she could. That smell, what was it? Pink hair rustling softly, the kunoichi shifted to where she could smell her arm. Was that coming from her? She then bent a little further to take a whiff of Kiba's arms, which were still wrapped around her torso. She was startled by a bark of laughter.

"It's us, Pink," his voice was thick from sleep, and he had not opened his eyes yet.

"It's...delicious. What do you mean it's us?" She rolled in his arms to face him, and he cracked an eye open for just a second.

"Just what I said. You're smelling our combined scents." He stopped as if that explained everything. The medic pushed closer and buried her nose into his chest. He laughed again when he felt her tongue flick out for a taste. The laugh was deep and still sleepy. He couldn't blame her, it was truly a tasty scent. Cherry blossoms blended with something wild and free to create the perfect combination. It was enough to drive a person insane out of sheer want to stay engulfed in it forever. The dog-nin glanced down at his girl and laughed again when he was met with the biggest eyes in the world. She was brimming with wonder, and he remembered that this was a new sensation for her.

"You didn't know?" He asked pulling her eye level to him. The woman shook her head. That explained her reaction. "Well, since, you have been infused with my chakra, and a little of Akamaru's, by way of my bond with him, you will gain some of my traits. And the same will happen to me when we finish the bonding ritual."

"What do you mean?" The woman looked at him skeptically.

"We'll have to perform it in front of the clan elders, and this time, you'll have to bite me as well. The claim goes both ways." The girl gasped and hid her face in his chest.

"We don't have to...you know...in front of them, do we?" Her voice was muffled, and he could feel the heat from her blush. He was so close to saying yes, just to see the blush cover her still nude body.

"Of course not, nothing quite so personal. I bite you on the neck, then you bite me. That's it." Sakura was relieved, but she did prefer the way they had done things better. Being bonded with a mate for life was _very _intimate, and making it a part of the ultimate act of intimacy just seemed right.

_I completely agree,_ sighed Inner Sakura as she filled Sakura's mind with visions of staking claims and slaking lust. Thoughts of bringing Kiba to release as she dug her teeth into his throat were shattered with the sound of her alarm buzzer.

Sakura reached up to turn the alarm off, and she hoped that he would ask her to stay home this time as well. The woman was slightly disappointed when the man raised up from the bed and began to dress himself. She looked at him, a question in her eyes.

"What? Oh, I have training this morning, too," he explained. That, and the smell of her arousal at some inner thoughts was driving him crazy. He could not allow himself to take her body again this morning. Way too much that needed to be done, and if they started the day off like _that, _he wouldn't let them leave at all. Hmmm...maybe tomorrow.

So, the two dressed and had a light breakfast of fruit at the kitchen table. In a moment of pure idle thought, Sakura remembered something from the night before.

"Hey, Kitten, what was in the glass that you were carrying? You know, the one I broke with my shuriken?"

"Orange juice." The meaning of the gesture was not lost on Sakura. The day that they had shared orange juice in Suna had been the day that they had become more than friends. Neither had realized it then, but they knew it now.

A few hours later, Sakura and Sai were sitting under their tree discussing today's sparring match. Sai commented on Sakura's agility, and wondered at how she had been able to find some of his best hiding places. The woman had played it off as due to her much-needed rest as she didn't feel the need to tell the artist that it was because she could smell him. He had a weird smell, not offensive but something spicy intertwined with something inky. It was almost as if he carried the scent of two people. Perhaps Sai had a lover? And, she was very near to asking him about it, when several other scents filled the air. The two stood to welcome their companions.

Naruto, of course smelled of ramen and powerful chakra, Kakashi smelled of the deep woods, and Sasuke smelled...spicy. The girl took in a sharp breath as her hand flew to her mouth to stifle a giggle. This action elicited a few raised eyebrows in her direction, and the woman had to turn away from the males to keep from laughing out loud. So, that was why they were almost constantly together lately. She had just thought it was because they had compatible personalities. So, perhaps this was why both boys fought girls off vehemently, and why neither could be found in feminine company. Somewhere deep inside Sakura was happy for them both, and she nearly said so aloud. But, she was suddenly wrapped up in Naruto's custom bone-crushing hug.

The boy hugged her close and spoke of how glad he was that she was okay. While trying to soothe her friend, the lady smelled another pleasant aroma as she noticed Kiba and Hinata arriving to pick up their loved ones. Even after strenuous workout, their smell had not faded from Kiba, and she thought it was even better mixed in with his masculinity and sweat. The boy grinned at her and continued to talk to his teammate. But, his eyes never strayed from where she stood trapped in Naruto's embrace.

"Oi, Sakura, what happened to that scarf thing?" Naruto asked, still not letting her completely go.

"Hey, Naruto, do you remember when I said that you could hug me whenever you want?" Sakura asked looking over his shoulder at something. He nodded. "Well, I suggest that you don't make the hugs last so long."

He released her, and held her at arms length. A question covering his whiskered face.

"Not unless you want a very possessive Inuzuka to kill you for man-handling his mate," she snorted while trying not to laugh outright at the boy's expression. He let go, head tilted to the side as he processed her words. Then, his eyes widened, and Naruto looked from her to Kiba who had moved in to stand near his love. The fox-boy's mouth worked with unformed questions.

"Whaaaaat?" He finally formed a thought. "M-mate? Sakura-chan...you..and..Kiba?" He didn't seem to be able to grasp onto the concept at all. Luckily, Hinata pulled him aside and explained things quietly. Once the boy understood, he strode up to his friend and her lover.

"Just promise me that you won't hurt her. God knows she's had enough of that," he said while thrusting a finger in the direction of his team. Kiba responded by putting an arm around the girl's shoulders.

"Don't worry. She's all mine now, and no one will hurt her again." Naruto seemed to be okay with answer since he thrust his hand forward to shake Kiba's. The two smiled at one another in some kind of agreement, and Sakura could only wonder if this was some kind guy thing.

The two decided to make their goodbyes at that time. They had another place to go, and the sooner they went the better. As the couple made their way, Kiba explained some things to Sakura.

"Just remember not to avert your eyes from her. She'll take that as weakness, and put us both out on the spot. And, if she bares her teeth, just stay passive. If it comes to that, anything you do will be seen as a challenge." Sakura's body tensed. She was not ready for this, but she knew it needed to be done sooner or later. They would have to tell Tsume their decision, and wade head-on through whatever consequences it carried.

As the two came to a halt at the door to Kiba's home, he took her hand in his.

"Ready?" he asked, giving her hand a light squeeze. She looked up at him, hoping her smile looked braver than she felt.

"Yeah." And the two entered the Inuzuka home to face their future together.

_Fin_

**A/N: So this is the end of this funness. Do not despair, though. I will begin a sequel within the next few days. Just to think, I started this as a way to fend off boredom. Wow, is all I can say to the reader response to this fic. I have plot bunnies attacking me, and I will continue on. Just need to close this chapter to start anew. Oh, and Tsume's reaction is very important to the next part. That is why I have saved it for later. Well, I'll see you all again soon.**


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